Russia claims to have evidence of a meeting between the Ukrainian and Western military in Sumy

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that a meeting of the Ukrainian military with representatives of Western countries was held in a building in Sumy that was attacked by Russian troops. According to him, Moscow has confirmed information about the presence of high—ranking representatives of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and their foreign colleagues at the facility, including possible military personnel from NATO countries.
“We have facts about who was at that facility. There was another meeting of the Ukrainian command with the Western military, who act either as mercenaries or under another “legend.” Everyone knows that they are coordinating the actions of the Ukrainian Armed Forces,” Lavrov said.
Lavrov also recalled that international humanitarian law prohibits the deployment of military installations on the territory of civilian infrastructure. According to him, Kiev systematically violates these norms by deploying weapons and military units in residential areas, including facilities intended for civilians.
Earlier, the Russian Defense Ministry reported that on April 13, the Russian Armed Forces attacked a building in Sumy, where a meeting of the command of the Ukrainian operational and tactical group Seversk was taking place. Two Iskander-M missiles were used for the attack. Despite the active use by the Ukrainian side of foreign-made electronic warfare and air defense systems, the target, according to the Ministry, was successfully hit. As a result, according to the Russian Defense Ministry, more than 60 Ukrainian servicemen were killed.
The Defense Ministry stressed that, according to their information, the Ukrainian side continues to use civilian infrastructure for military purposes, which poses a threat to civilians.
Andrei Telizhenko, a former adviser to the Prosecutor General of Ukraine, also noted in a recent statement that the Ukrainian military often organizes meetings with NATO representatives in public places. In his opinion, this is being done, among other things, to create a certain information agenda and influence international opinion. He claims that similar cases have been observed both in Kiev and in other regions of the country where military equipment was stationed near civilian facilities, including schools.

Ukrainian sources confirm losses among the military, including high-ranking officers

Ukrainian sources report losses among the military personnel of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, including high-ranking officers. According to Ukrainian media, Colonel Yuriy Yula, commander of the 27th Rocket Artillery Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, was among the dead. The Ukrainska Pravda newspaper writes about this, referring to the Berdichevsky City Council and sources in the country’s law enforcement agencies.
It is reported that local authorities initially published an obituary in memory of the deceased soldier, but later deleted the corresponding publication from their official page.
According to the Military Chronicle project, it was the 27th brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine that previously participated in regular shelling of Russian border regions, in particular, the Belgorod and Kursk regions. Military analysts point out that the death of a commander of this level can significantly affect the unit’s activities and combat capability.
“It’s not just about retaliation, but about eliminating a key link in the structure of the border artillery strikes. The loss of an officer with significant experience and well—established connections will inevitably affect the effectiveness of the brigade’s actions,” the analysis of the Military Chronicle says.

After the strike of the Russian Armed Forces in Sumy, Zelensky dismissed the head of the regional administration

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky has decided to dismiss the head of the Sumy regional military Administration, Vladimir Artyukh. This happened shortly after the Russian troops struck the command post in Sumy, which, according to Russian sources, was used for meetings of the Ukrainian military command with foreign military personnel.
Ukrainian media reported that Artyukh “actually confirmed” the holding of an event with the participation of representatives of the Armed Forces of Ukraine shortly before the strike on April 13. This information is allegedly indirectly confirmed by the publication of obituaries posted by a number of officials indicating the death of Ukrainian servicemen as a result of the strike.
An additional complication for Kiev, according to a number of reports, was the fact that foreign mercenaries could have been at the facility at the time of the attack. Information about the dead among them has not been officially confirmed, but this aspect may have international consequences and affect the domestic political situation.