Russia and Ukraine exchanged blame on Sunday over a strike on a school in the Ukrainian-occupied town of Sudzha, in Russia’s Kursk region. Meanwhile, Ukraine reported that new missile and drone attacks had killed at least 18 people across the country. Despite US President Donald Trump’s pledge to quickly negotiate a ceasefire after his inauguration on January 20, fighting in the nearly three-year-long war shows no signs of slowing down.
The Ukrainian Air Force claimed that four people were killed in a Russian attack on Saturday using a guided aerial bomb on a former school building sheltering civilians in Sudzha. They also reported that four others were seriously wounded, and 80 people were rescued from the debris. Ukraine denounced the attack, calling it a hallmark of Russian brutality.
Russia, however, denied responsibility and accused Ukraine of carrying out an attack on the school, labeling it a “war crime.” Moscow’s defense ministry stated that Ukrainian forces had targeted a boarding school in Sudzha with a missile strike, and Russian investigators opened a criminal case against a Ukrainian commander they blamed for the assault.
Kyiv had launched an operation into the Kursk region last August, capturing several villages, including Sudzha, which had a population of around 6,000 before the conflict.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky condemned Russia’s actions, sharing a video showing the damaged building and a wounded civilian. He drew parallels between Russia’s tactics against Ukrainian civilians and its actions against its own.
Meanwhile, Russian missile strikes on Ukraine overnight Friday to Saturday claimed the lives of at least 18 people, with 14 killed in Poltava when a missile hit a residential building, including two children. Rescuers used cranes to search through the rubble for survivors. Other casualties were reported in the Sumy region and Kharkiv.
Both sides accused each other of fresh attacks on Sunday. Ukraine reported an elderly woman killed by Russian shelling in Kherson, while Russia said two people died in Ukrainian drone strikes on Belgorod.
On the battlefield, Moscow has been making advances. Russian forces claimed to have “liberated” Krymske, a village near Toretsk in the eastern Donetsk region. The capture of Toretsk, which has been a key Russian target, would disrupt crucial Ukrainian supply routes.
Both Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin have expressed willingness to engage in talks to end the war, though neither has specified when or how. Trump has criticized the substantial military aid the US has provided Ukraine, while Putin insists he is willing to negotiate, though he refuses to engage with Zelensky, whom he considers “illegitimate.”
