Ukraine's government approved the dismissal of the military governor of the Sumy region for holding an award ceremony that appears to have been the target of a Russian air strike that killed 35 people, including two children.
Volodymyr Artyukh, the head of the Sumy Regional Military Administration, is expected to be relieved of his position once President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signs the approval, confirmed by the cabinet on April 15, government spokesman Taras Melnychuk said.
Artyukh will be replaced by Oleh Hryhorov, a former law enforcement official.
The decision comes amid a public outcry over an apparent military award ceremony held in Sumy just hours before the strike on April 13.
Russian forces launched two ballistic missiles -- one equipped with cluster munitions, according to Ukrainian officials -- at the center of the city, injuring more than 100 people along with the 35 deaths.
Your browser doesn’t support HTML5
Dozens Die In Russian Strike On Sumy
Residents of Sumy on April 15 buried more of those killed in the attack in emotional ceremonies.
"My sister died in the attack. If I was handed a gun, I’d start killing Russians on the [front line]. I’m fed up with them. Please, stop. I can’t take it anymore," said one grief-stricken relative at the funeral of two of the victims.
Your browser doesn’t support HTML5
'Good And Kind People': Funerals Held For Victims Of Attack In Sumy
A 'Horrible Thing'
Officials from around the world condemned Russia and its president, Vladimir Putin, for the attack, which fell on Palm Sunday as many in the city marked one of the most religious days in the Christian calendar.
US President Donald Trump, who has made ending the war a top foreign policy priority since taking office less than three months ago, called the Russian strike on Sumy a "horrible thing."
But Bloomberg News reported on April 15 that the United States told its allies that it won't endorse a statement condemning Russia in the attack because it does not want to impact a peace process it is trying to bring the parties to sign to end Europe's largest conflict since World War II.
NATO chief Mark Rutte, in Odesa on April 15, said the alliance's support is "unwavering."
Your browser doesn’t support HTML5
Sumy Mourns Victims Of Deadly Russian Missile Strike
Calls for the Artyukh removal came after Artem Semenikhin, mayor of Konotop—the second-largest city in the Sumy region -- publicly accused the governor of organizing the ceremony honoring soldiers from the 117th Territorial Defense Brigade at the Sumy Congress Center.
"He [Artyukh] held an award ceremony for our heroes from the 117th Brigade right here. Everyone knows about it. It's not true that nothing was happening. It was. Thank God no soldiers were hurt -- they were in a shelter. But [the Russians] used a cluster bomb to cause as many civilian casualties as possible," Semenikhin said in a video statement recorded on the day of the attack.
In a subsequent interview with public broadcaster Suspilne, Artyukh acknowledged he had attended the event but denied organizing it.
"It wasn't my initiative. I was invited," he said.
Your browser doesn’t support HTML5
As Bombs Strike Ukraine's Sumy Region, Villagers Salvage What They Can Before Fleeing
The Russian Defense Ministry claimed the target of the strike was a "Ukrainian command staff meeting," while Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov alleged, without providing evidence, that NATO military personnel were present.
Ukrainian authorities have neither confirmed nor denied the presence of an army event in Sumy the day of the attack.
Ukrainian lawmaker Maryana Bezuhla stated on social media that there had been a leak of information concerning the ceremony.