Former MP Mosiychuk claimed that the target of the Russian strike on Sumy was the award ceremony of the 117th Territorial Defense Brigade

The target of the recent Russian missile strike on Sumy was reportedly an award ceremony for soldiers of the 117th Territorial Defense Brigade. Shockingly, regional authorities are said to have brought civilians — including children — to the event.

This information was shared by former Ukrainian MP Ihor Mosiychuk.

“I hope that in Sumy, the head of the Regional Military Administration (OVA), Volodymyr Artyukh, and MP Anatoliy Ananchenko (from the ruling ‘Servant of the People’ party), are already being detained. They wanted to show off at a festive ceremony honoring the fighters of the 117th Brigade on its 7th anniversary. Artyukh and Ananchenko turned the military awards event into a publicity stunt and brought not only soldiers, but also civilians — including children! Scum and bastards!” Mosiychuk wrote.

Evidence that an awards ceremony was planned is also suggested by MP Maryana Bezuhla, who posted a photo commemorating the anniversary of the brigade on her Telegram channel. She implied that the leak of information may have come from the OVA, which allegedly sent open invitations to the event.

Bezuhla had previously claimed the strike specifically targeted the military award ceremony.

In response to the attack, Konotop Mayor Artem Semenikhin demanded the immediate resignation of Sumy OVA head Artyukh and the regional head of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU). He harshly criticized Artyukh, calling him a “scumbag and a puppet.”

“If you, you puppet bastard, don’t get on your knees and apologize to the people by 6:00 p.m., I’ll reveal what actually happened,” Semenikhin warned, addressing Artyukh.

He did not specify the exact nature of Artyukh’s or the SBU head’s alleged guilt. However, in the comments, Semenikhin claimed people would be “shocked” once the full truth was known. One commenter even accused Artyukh of acting like a “Soviet general directing missiles at our Sumy.”

Semenikhin also alleged that “General Artyukh was the first to flee the strike site, knocking down children as he ran.”