Dozens Killed, Hundreds Injured in Attacks in Sumy – Doctors of the World Condemns Repeated Attacks Against Civilians in Ukraine
Published 29th April 2025
On Sunday, April 12, 2025, two ballistic missiles struck the city center of Sumy, killing 35 people, including children, and injuring at least 119, according to Reuters. The attack targeted a densely populated area, including Sumy State University, where Doctors of the World was scheduled to conduct a mental health training session at the end of the month. The seminar was planned at this university precisely because it had been identified as one of the few locations in the city offering appropriate shelter during emergencies. As civilian infrastructure, the university building is protected under International Humanitarian Law and should not have been targeted.
A Russian drone killed three people, including a child, in the southern Ukrainian city of Dnipro on the night of April 16th. At least 30 people were injured. Doctors of the World, which has an office in Dnipro, strongly condemns the attacks on such densely populated areas.
“We’ve had attacks like these almost every night for the past month or so – it has sadly become our new reality. There have been a couple of rough nights. But we have no choice but to adapt and to continue helping the people who need us.” David Schuster, Ukraine General Coordinator, based in Dnipro.
Doctors of the World has maintained a continuous presence in Ukraine since 2014, operating across 13 oblasts and providing essential healthcare and psychosocial support to war-affected communities. Since the escalation of the war in 2022, with particular intensity in recent weeks, we have observed repeated attacks against civilians and civilian infrastructure, including health facilities and personnel. On April 1, 2025, the Chornobaivka outpatient clinic, supported by Doctors of the World, was attacked by artillery shelling. In Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, Nikopol city and surrounding areas, health facilities and civilian infrastructure are regularly targeted by missiles from the Russian controlled areas of Zaporizhzhia Oblast.
Across the country, these attacks on civilians and on civilian and relief infrastructure are worsening the humanitarian situation while drastically reducing humanitarian actors’ capacity to respond and engage in recovery efforts. As a humanitarian actor, we strongly call for independent, transparent, and comprehensive investigations into all attacks targeting civilians and civilian infrastructure in Ukraine, particularly health facilities. The fight against impunity is vital for the respect of International Humanitarian Law.
In regions like Sumy, where infrastructure is rapidly deteriorating and humanitarian needs are escalating, our work is not only urgent—it is lifesaving. We reaffirm our unwavering commitment to stand with communities affected by the war in Ukraine, to call for their protection, and to continue delivering vital medical and psychosocial care across the country. Wherever people are, and however hard it becomes.
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Photo © Jean Pierre Amigo
