Russia strikes sports school with drones while children training in Shostka, Sumy Oblast
Russian military struck a sports school in the city of Shostka in the Sumy Oblast with drones while children were in training, according to Oleh Hryhorov, Head of the Sumy Oblast Military Administration.
“This has been a targeted strike on a location where children were present. Russian forces have deployed two drones there,” he stated.
The coaches swiftly evacuated all the children and themselves to a safe location.
Early reports say that everyone is alive and there are no injuries.
Ihor Yakovenko, a coach at the “Barsa” Children and Youth Sports School, reported on his Facebook page that two UAVs hit the ‘Svema’ sports complex during children’s acrobatics training. According to Yakovenko, there was no air raid alert; the deadly devices flew at a very low altitude. After the first hit, children managed to get down to the bomb shelter.
He noted that hundreds of children and adults participated in sports at the complex, which hosted Ukrainian championships in various disciplines. Competitions in indoor hockey, futsal, tumbling, boxing, judo, and Greco-Roman wrestling were held at the venue.
“Now the Sports Palace is destroyed.. This is how the Muscovites liberate us… from housing, from places for sports, from life…” cites Yakovenko local Shostka.info news outlet as saying.
The head of Sumy Oblast Military Administration added that Russian forces also shelled the Seredyna-Buda “hromada,” a local government area that includes one or more nearby settlements, in the Sumy Oblast with mortars. A 76-year-old woman was wounded and taken to the hospital.
Meanwhile, Oleh Syniehubov, head of the Kharkiv Oblast Military Administration, stated that Russians have attacked the Nova Vodolaha hromada in the Kharkiv Oblast with drones, injuring six people. Source:
He said six people suffered injuries and acute stress reactions; one man is in serious condition.
Early reports suggest Russia used Geran-2-type UAVs.
Emergency services are responding to the site of the strike, and all those affected are receiving medical attention.
By way of background, Ukrainian experts point out that China, North Korea, Hungary, Slovakia, Iran, and Brazil assist Moscow in killing citizens of Ukraine in Russia’s war, including funding the Russian budget through trade.
Previously, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that Ukraine would close its embassy in Cuba and downgrade ties over Havana’s complicity in Russian aggression.
Newly appointed Ukrainian Ambassador to the UN Andriy Melnyk stated in an interview with Suspilne broadcaster that Brazil paid Russia almost $10 billion for 6.5 million tons of diesel.
Over the last three and a half years, China has become a critically important partner for the Russian Federation. While Beijing officially declares its neutrality, Western intelligence and analytical studies indicate otherwise. For instance, China does not supply weapons directly to Russia, but it provides critically important components, including machinery, microelectronics, specialized chemicals, optics, gunpowder, and ammunition components.
In 2024, then-U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken stated that 70% of heavy industrial equipment and 90% of all microelectronics are sourced from China, which then flow into Russia.
Furthermore, according to recent NATO intelligence data, 80% of all Russian drones consist of Chinese parts.
According to The Telegraph newspaper, Chinese firms supplied sanctioned Russian companies with at least £47 million ($57.4 million USD) worth of parts between 2023 and 2024. Almost a quarter of the value of these supplies went to firms that produce Shahed-type drones.
Moreover, the Foreign Intelligence Service of Ukraine stated that China is also providing intelligence to Russia. The Kremlin used this data to prepare missile strikes, particularly against objects belonging to foreign investors, though the specific targets were not clarified. China denies these accusations.
Following the imposition of Western sanctions, Beijing has become a key supplier to Russia of cars, clothing, raw materials, and a range of other goods. In 2023, Russia-China trade turnover set a historic record, exceeding $240 billion, which is more than 60% higher than before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, according to Chinese customs data.
Reuters also reported that China is buying oil and gas from Russia. The average daily volume of oil is more than two million barrels per day. During Vladimir Putin’s visit to Beijing, the countries signed a document for the supply of 106 billion cubic meters of gas per year to China.
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