Kremlin says it strikes only "military targets" — now its drones have struck a Ukrainian kindergarten

 Despite the incomprehensible suffering of civilians in Ukraine, Russia has repeatedly claimed that it only strikes military targets in Ukraine.

For example, in August 2025, Euromaidan Press cited Russian General Staff Chief Valery Gerasimov as saying in a summary of combat operations for the spring and summer of 2025 that Moscow continues to carry out strikes “exclusively against military targets.”

It is unknown whether Russia has finally admitted to targeting civilian sites in Ukraine, but now Russian drones have struck a Ukrainian kindergarten.

Body of woman found under rubble

The acting mayor and city council secretary of Sumy, Artem Kobzar, said on Telegram that a kindergarten building in the central part of the city had been hit.

At the time of publication, the extent of the damage was still being assessed, as emergency services were working at the scene.

According to the Ukrainian broadcaster Suspilne, the body of a woman working as a security guard in preschool has been found under the rubble. There were no children at the institution when the drones hit.

Part of a larger Russian assault

The Kyiv Post reports that the kindergarten was struck as part of a larger Russian overnight assault.

The outlet cites the Ukrainian Air Force as stating that the attack consisted of two Iskander ballistic missiles, a guided air-launched missile, and 108 drones.

Ukraine’s air defense reportedly managed to shoot down 89 of the drones.