Russian state tv portrayed Sunday’s fatal missile strike at the northeastern Ukrainian town of Sumy as a “staged provocation” geared toward “undermining” the continued Ukraine ceasefire talks between Moscow and Washington.
Two ballistic missiles hit the middle of Sumy, with regards to the Russian border, on Sunday morning, Ukrainian government mentioned. Emergency products and services mentioned the missiles killed 34 folks, together with two kids, and wounded 117, together with 15 kids.
Professional-Kremlin communicate display host Vladimir Solovyov referred to as the strike a “conventional try by way of the Ukrainian government to derail any risk of negotiations” all the way through his program “Sunday Night with Vladimir Solovyov” at the state-run broadcaster Rossia 24.
“I couldn’t forget about the guidelines coming from Sumy. In fact, [German media outlet] Deutsche Welle right away blames us — ‘a strike within the town middle, a lot of casualties’,” Solovyov mentioned.
“If you happen to learn Deutsche Welle, you get the influence that the vintage German propaganda, naturally in cooperation with the British, seeking to degree every other Bucha,” he mentioned, relating to the Kyiv suburb which used to be occupied by way of the Russian forces in 2022 and the place the invention of civilians’ our bodies within the streets sparked world outrage.
Moscow denied duty for committing conflict crimes in Bucha, as an alternative accusing Ukraine and Western media of fabricating the proof.
The missile strike in Sumy got here simply two days after U.S. presidential envoy Steve Witkoff visited Russia to fulfill with President Vladimir Putin as a part of U.S. President Donald Trump’s push to dealer a ceasefire within the conflict, now coming into its fourth 12 months.
“Putin spends 4 hours talking with a consultant of Donald Trump and right away one thing occurs. In fact, a sequence of frightened bloggers — basically Ukrainian or pro-Ukrainian — get started screaming ‘horror, horror,’” Solovyov added.
“Historically, it used to be a Ukrainian air protection missile that hit the unsuitable goal, which sadly resulted in civilian deaths,” he concluded.
At the similar program, RT editor-in-chief Margarita Simonyan echoed Solovyov’s feedback, pronouncing: “They [Ukraine and the West] will stay seeking to create every other Bucha… as it’s the one means they may be able to now extend the conflict.”
Talking the similar day at the state-run TV channel TVTS, Simonyan once more referred to the strike as a provocation.
“A provocation like this might be staged. Trump is a passionate guy, now not one to dig deep or display the restraint our president does,” she mentioned, implying the assault in Sumy can have been “orchestrated” to sway Trump.
Requested about accusations that Russia focused civilians in Sumy, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov mentioned Monday that “our navy carries out moves completely on navy and military-adjacent objectives.”
Commenting at the assault, Trump mentioned that it used to be “a mistake” with out specifying who he used to be relating to.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio condemned the strike as “scary” and “a sad reminder of why President Trump and his management are placing such a lot effort and time into seeking to finish this conflict and succeed in sturdy peace.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Sunday prompt Trump to discuss with Ukraine to witness the devastation firsthand.
Witnesses described panic as folks ran for protection amid burning vehicles. Rescuers have been observed pulling our bodies from the rubble of a development close to a destroyed trolleybus, the useless lined in silver thermal blankets.
Ukraine’s Army Intelligence Leader Kyrylo Budanov mentioned on Telegram that Russia had used two Iskander-M or KN-23 ballistic missiles within the strike on Sumy.
Russia has intensified its bombardments in contemporary weeks. The town of Sumy has come below expanding force as Moscow continues to ward off Ukrainian troops from Russia’s bordering Kursk area.
AFP contributed reporting.
