Russia claims its deadly attack on Ukraine’s Sumy targeted military forces as condemnation grows

In this photo taken from video distributed by Russian Defense Ministry Press Service on Monday, April 14, 2025, Russian servicemen attend a combat training for assault units in an undisclosed location. (Russian Defense Ministry Press Service via AP)

Smoke rises from an explosion following a Russian drone strike on Sumy, Ukraine, Monday, April 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)

Kateryna Sitak, 23, a teacher, cries while laying flowers and toys on a site of a Russian missile strike in Sumy, Ukraine, Monday, April 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)

Kateryna Sitak, 23, a teacher, cries after laying flowers and toys on a site of a Russian missile strike in Sumy, Ukraine, Monday, April 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)

Kyrylo Illiashenko, 13, sits on a hospital bed, Monday, April 14, 2025, after being injured on Sunday by a Russian missile strike on Sumy, Ukraine, while trying to help others evacuate a burning bus that he later exited through a shattered window. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)

Municipal workers clean a street in front of a University building destroyed by a Russian missile strike in Sumy, Ukraine, Monday, April 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)

An excavator clears the rubble from a University building destroyed by a Russian missile strike in Sumy, Ukraine, Monday, April 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)

Smoke rises from an explosion following a Russian drone strike on Sumy, Ukraine, Monday, April 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)

Smoke rises from an explosion following a Russian drone strike on Sumy, Ukraine, Monday, April 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)