Russian Missile Strike on Sumy Kills Dozens and Destroys Cultural Institutions

A devastating Russian missile attack on the morning of 13 April struck the center of Sumy, eastern Ukraine, killing at least 34 people — including two children — and causing widespread destruction to cultural heritage sites, educational institutions, and media offices, The Gaze reports.

The strike heavily damaged numerous cultural and academic landmarks, including:

• Sumy State University: Its Congress Centre was hit, destroying photo exhibitions by Kordon Media and the Sumy Cultural Centre.

• Onatsky Regional Art Museum, Regional Museum of Local Lore, Shchepkin National Academic Theatre of Drama and Musical Comedy, Regional Academic Theatre for Children and Youth, Regional Philharmonic, and Regional Library for Children also suffered significant damage.

• Regional Scientific and Methodological Centre for Culture and Arts: Its premises, furniture, and equipment were destroyed.

Several local media and creative hubs were also targeted:

• The ‘Nyankiny’ Theatre, located in the shelter of the Congress Centre, was completely destroyed.

• Sumy Channel, a local YouTube media project, also lost its office entirely.

• CUKR Media and the Sumy Press Club suffered broken windows and internal damage.

• A film crew from the War Diaries YouTube project was based in the targeted building but was not present during the strike.

Tragically, Olena Kohut, a performer in the local theatre orchestra, was killed in the missile strike.

The strike, launched on Palm Sunday in the heart of Sumy, destroyed key cultural institutions and is a stark reminder of Russia’s ongoing assault on Ukraine’s identity and heritage.

As The Gaze previously reported, on the night of April 5–6, a Russian ballistic missile strike on Kyiv caused significant destruction to a building housing the editorial offices of Ukraine’s International Broadcasting Multimedia Platform of Ukraine (IBMPU), which includes The Gaze among its international media outlets.