Russians strike hospital in Sumy twice, killing nine people and injuring 19

Russian army personnel carried out a strike on a medical facility in the city of Sumy on the morning of September 28, according to the Sumy Oblast Military Administration, Ukraine’s Air Force, Ukraine’s Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko, and the Sumy Oblast Prosecutor’s Office.

The attackers targeted a residential area with Shahed drones. The Air Force also reported that the Russians had dropped guided bombs on the Sumy Oblast.

Later, Klymenko stated the Russians had struck a medical facility in Sumy twice. Rescue workers and police arrived at the scene to help, but the Russians launched a second strike during the evacuation.

As of now, authorities have confirmed nine deaths, including a police officer. The attack injured another police officer.

The prosecutor’s office later released the investigation data. According to the office’s statement, the Russians carried out airstrikes with Shahed attack drones on a medical facility in the city of Sumy at about 07:35. 

At the time, 86 patients, including 15 with reduced mobility and 38 workers, were inside the hospital.

Initial reports indicate that the first attack killed one person and injured 10 more.

At about 08:25, when rescue workers and the police were assisting people after the strike, the Russians launched the second attack, killing five more people.

To provide background, on September 24, Russian forces launched 90 attacks on the border areas of Sumy Oblast, killing a civilian in one of the hromadasі , the Sumy Oblast Military Administration reported.

According to Ukraine’s Ministry of Health, by the end of September 2024, Russian military forces had damaged 1,663 medical facilities in Ukraine and destroyed another 222 since the onset of the full-scale war. 

On September 19, at around 16:00, Russian forces bombed a retirement home in Sumy with a guided aerial bomb. The Sumy Oblast Military Administration reported that the attack injured several people. Many of the residents were bedridden.

Volodymyr Artiukh, head of the Sumy Oblast Military Administration, told Suspilne that 221 elderly people resided in the retirement home building.

Emergency services urgently evacuated them from the building and provided medical treatment on the grass outside.

Later, local authorities reported that one person had died of their injuries in hospital. The State Emergency Service released a video of the aftermath and reported 12 injuries.

During the night of September 18-19, and on the morning of September 19, Russian attacks on Sumy Oblast killed two people and injured two others, according to the Sumy Oblast Military Administration. Authorities recorded a total of 38 explosions.

That same day, Russians attacked Krasnopillia hromada with MLRS (10 explosions) and [tubed] artillery. These attacks killed two civilians and wounded two others.

Moreover, Russian forces bombarded Sumy, Bezdryk, Mykolaivka, Yunakivka, Bilopillia, Velyka Pysarivka, Nova Sloboda, and Esman hromadas.

Russian forces are reported to have attacked civilian settlements with aerial bombs and FPVі drones, and fired mortars.

To provide context, China is providing support to Russia in its war against the people of Ukraine.

During a meeting with Wang Yi on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly in New York on September 28, the US Secretary of State Antony Blinken highlighted that Chinese companies are responsible for around 70% of machine tool exports to Russia.

He also noted that 90% of microelectronics imported by Russia originate from China and Hong Kong, which significantly aids Moscow in producing the missiles, armoured vehicles, and ammunition needed for its unprovoked war against the Ukrainian people.

The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) stressed that media reports about Beijing’s assistance to Moscow undermine China’s attempts to portray itself as a “neutral mediator” in the Russo-Ukrainian war.

According to The Times, Western officials have uncovered that a Chinese company is sending military drones to Russia for testing and possible use by Russian forces against Ukraine.

A Western official noted that the Chinese company had entered into an agreement with Russia in 2023 and that there was “clear evidence that PRC companies are supplying Russia with deadly weapons for use in Ukraine”.

During a recent address to the General Assembly, Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned that Russia plans to attack three nuclear power plants in Ukraine as winter approaches.

In addition, he urged countries to support Ukraine’s Peace Formula, asserting that it is the only path to a just peace. The Formula consists of ten points.

The Ukrainian President argued that other initiatives, including those proposed by China and Brazil, would allow the aggressor state to continue its war against the Ukrainian people.