Zelensky fires 'scum' general who arranged infamous award ceremony in Sumy

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky dismissed Volodymyr Artyukh, the head of the Sumy Regional Military Administration, Suspilne news outlet said.

Photo: Flickr by President Of Ukraine, https://creativecommons.org/public-domain/pdm/

Zelensky at a meeting

No official reasons were given for the dismissal. However, it is believed to be linked to the recent Russian missile strike in Sumy.

"Yesterday, in a comment to Suspilne, Artyukh effectively confirmed that a military awards ceremony took place in Sumy on the eve of the April 13 strike, but claimed he was not the initiator of it," the outlet said.

Artyukh stated that he was invited to the ceremony instead. He had served as head of the  Sumy Regional Military Administration since April 12, 2023. Police Major General Oleh Hryhorov will come to replace him.

Russian Missile Strike Hits Military Gathering in Sumy

The Russian forces struck the Congress Center of Sumy State University on April 13. Verkhovna Rada MP Maryana Bezuhla stated the strike hit a concentration of military personnel in the city center.

"Don't gather soldiers for award ceremonies-especially in civilian areas. Once again, the Russians had information about the gathering,” she wrote, addressing Ukraine's Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi and Territorial Defense Commander Ihor Plakhuta.

Several Ukrainian officials, including MP Bezuhla, former MP Ihor Mosiychuk, and Konotop Mayor Artem Semenikhin, publicly claimed that Artyukh organized the ceremony for troops from the 117th Brigade, which became the target of Russian Iskander missiles.

Semenikhin stated that a criminal investigation had been opened into the organization of the military gathering. He personally blamed Governor Artyukh, saying he "decided to hold a gathering of soldiers" and that "everyone knows it." On Telegram, he called Artyukh a scumbag and a puppet and said  that the general should kneel and apologize to the people. He also alleged Artyukh was at the scene during the strike and fled in panic, knocking over children as he ran.

About 200 Ukrainian Soldiers Were Reportedly Present

It was later revealed that around 200 Ukrainian servicemen were present at the site of the strike, including senior officers from the Seversk operational-tactical group. Officers from the 95th and 80th separate air assault brigades, the 21st mechanized brigade, and the 117th Territorial Defense Brigade were reportedly in attendance.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov claimed that Moscow had evidence confirming the presence of Ukrainian commanders along with their Western counterparts at the location.

According to him, NATO personnel were present at the meeting with Ukrainian command and were involved in high-level decision-making, including authorizing the use of long-range missiles.

Russian Ministry of Defense Reports Casualties

According to the Russian Ministry of Defense, more than 60 Ukrainian soldiers were killed in the missile strike on Sumy. The attack was carried out using two Iskander-M operational-tactical missiles, despite Ukrainian electronic warfare and air defense efforts. The ministry stated the missile strike was conducted to annihilate the command staff of the Seversk group, which was holding a meeting at the time.

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Volodymyr Mykolayovych Artyukh (born 8 May 1958) is a Ukrainian military and political leader currently serving as the head of the Sumy Oblast Military Administration. He gained prominence during the Russo-Ukrainian War, particularly due to his leadership in managing the defense and security of Sumy Oblast, which lies on Ukraine's northeastern border with Russia.