Russia and Ukraine Blame Each Other for Attack on Boarding School in Kursk Region
The Russian Ministry of Defense and the Ukrainian Air Force have put forward completely opposing accounts of the strike on a boarding school in Sudzha. According to the Ukrainian side, the building was hit by a guided aerial bomb released from a Russian aircraft, while Russian military officials claim that the boarding school was attacked by missiles launched by Ukrainian forces from the Sumy region, reports NewsBox.
The Russian Ministry of Defense and the Ukrainian Air Forces have presented two entirely contradictory versions of the attack on the boarding school in the city of Sudzha, Kursk region. Both sides have accused each other, but there is still no independent verification of either version.
The first statement came from the Ukrainian General Staff, which published a map showing the trajectory of what they claim was a guided aerial bomb (KAB) launched by a Russian aircraft. The map specified the address of the boarding school — 7 Lenin Street — along with descriptions matching Google Street View images. The Ukrainian side claims that at the time of the strike, 86 civilians and four officers of the National Police of Ukraine were inside the building. According to the Ukrainian Armed Forces, four people died in the strike, four more were seriously injured, and about 80 people were unharmed. Ukrainian Air Force representatives also said they have irrefutable evidence of Russian aviation's involvement and called the accusations against Ukraine false.
A few minutes later, the Russian Ministry of Defense stated its version of events. The agency claimed that a targeted missile strike was conducted by Ukrainian forces on the boarding school. According to the ministry, the missile launch was recorded by Russian air defense systems, and the attack originated from the neighboring Sumy region. However, the official statement from the Russian military does not provide evidence to support this version.
Meanwhile, experts note that damage from a guided aerial bomb clearly differs from destruction caused by a missile strike. Some Russian military bloggers have suggested that a multiple launch rocket system - possibly HIMARS - might have been used to attack the boarding school, but there is no direct evidence to support this.
The Russian Ministry of Defense's statement was the first official comment from Russian authorities on this incident. Later, the acting governor of the Kursk region, Alexander Khinstein, made a similar statement. As of now, there are no verified independent confirmations from either side, and the investigation into the circumstances of the strike is ongoing.