Russians attack 13 communities in Sumy Oblast, injuring four civilians

On the eve of Ukraine’s Independence Day of Ukraine, the Russian Armed Forces conducted 87 attacks on 13 hromadasі A hromada (Ukrainian: громада) is a territorial community that typically includes one or several settlements (villages, towns, or cities) and has its own local self-governance structure. Hromadas are part of Ukraine's decentralization reform, which aims to give more power and resources to local governments. in the Sumy Oblast on August 23, 2024, injuring four civilians.

The Sumy Oblast Military Administration recorded a total of 265 explosions in Mykolaivka, Myropillia, Bilopillia, Krasnopillia, Velyka Pysarivka, Nova Sloboda, Berezivka, Hlukhiv, Esman, Shalyhyne, Druzhba, Svesa and Seredyna-Buda hromadas.

Krasnopillia hromada was hit by artillery, multiple-launch rocket systems (MLRS), mortars, a guided bomb airstrike, FPV drones and explosive devices dropped from UAVs (87 explosions).

There were five FPV drone attacks and a guided bomb airstrike in Hlukhiv hromada.

Druzhba hromada experienced 14 guided bomb airstrikes and mortar fire.

The Russians attacked Bilopillia hromada with a guided bomb airstrike, FPV drones and mortar fire (11 explosions).

Moreover, the Russian Armed Forces used three air-dropped mines to attack Esman hromada. An FPV drone strike was also recorded (4 explosions).

Velyka Pysarivka hromada was targeted with mortars, grenade launchers, FPV drones and explosive devices dropped from UAVs (40 explosions).

The Russians hit Shalyhyne hromada with a guided bomb airstrike, mortars and FPV drones (8 explosions). A local resident was injured due to the FPV drone attack.

Seredyna-Buda hromada came under attacks from mortars, FPV drones and artillery (18 explosions).

Berezivka hromada was attacked with a guided bomb (5 explosions).

Guided bomb airstrikes were also recorded in Svesa hromada (5 explosions).

Nova Sloboda hromada experienced a guided bomb airstrike and an FPV drone attack (3 explosions).

There was artillery shelling in Myropillia hromada (1 explosion).

Mykolaivka hromada was struck by a guided bomb (2 explosions).

The Russians also launched a missile strike on the Sumy district, injuring three civilians.

To provide context, the UK Defence Intelligence in its review has noted that although top Russian officials claim they are willing to negotiate, Russia has not abandoned its original goals regarding Ukraine. 

The UK Defence Ministry cites Dmitry Rogozin, a former Russian deputy prime minister and illegitimate “senator” for the temporarily occupied part of the Zaporizhzhia Oblast, who boasted of having destroyed Ukrainian books, called for all ‘’Ukrainian-ness to be burnt out at the root”, and said that any truce with Ukraine would mean “certain death for our children”.

These comments are the latest in a long line of Ukrainophobic sentiments by senior Russian officials that undermine and threaten Ukrainian identity and culture. There are likely many individuals within the Russian state who retain maximalist objectives for the war, including the destruction of Ukrainian culture, identity, and statehood. This is despite the alleged Russian willingness to negotiate, as repeated by presidential spokesperson Dmitry Peskov on 1 July 2024.”

The review also recalled Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin’s statement in 2017 that “not many countries have sovereignty”.

Earlier, the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Oleksandr Syrskyy, revealed that since 24 February 2022, Russian missiles and drones have hit 11,879 facilities in Ukraine, with 6,203 being civilian and 5,676 military, Expres Defense reports.

He added that the Russians used 9,590 missiles and 13,997 drones to attack Ukraine, of which 2,429 missiles and 5,972 drones were shot down.

According to the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine, at least 219 civilians were killed and 1,018 injured in Ukraine in July 2024, which makes it the deadliest month for civilians since October 2022. The UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine stated that the high number of casualties in July continues a trend of increasing civilian casualties since March 2024.

The UN pointed out that a large-scale coordinated attack launched by the Russian Armed Forces across Ukraine on July 8, 2024, killed at least 43 civilians, including 5 children, and injured 147, including 7 children, in Kyiv City, Dnipro City, Kryvyi Rih (Dnipropetrovsk region) and Kyiv region.

One missile in the 8 July attack also struck a hospital complex in Kyiv city, destroying the toxicology department of the Okhmatdyt National Children’s Hospital and significantly damaging the Center for Pediatric Cardiology and Cardiac Surgery.

In June and July, the most intensive offensive military operations by the Russian Armed Forces shifted from the northern Kharkiv region to the Donetsk region, the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine noted. As a result, verified civilian casualties in the Donetsk region increased from 125 civilians killed or injured in May to 224 in June and 269 in July 2024.

The vast majority of civilian casualties (90%) and damage to educational and health facilities (86%) continued to occur in Government-controlled territory.

As for now, it is impossible to determine the exact number of casualties, as Ukrainian law enforcement agencies and the representatives of the ICC have no access to the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine.