Putin boasts of massive attack on Ukrainian troops

Vladimir Putin claimed a missile strike in Sumy killed 70 Ukrainian soldiers. Photo / Getty Images

Vladimir Putin has boasted of a massive missile strike on a military base in Ukraine’s Sumy region that the Kremlin claims killed as many as 70 soldiers.

The Russian leader described the attack as “good news” while visiting the border region of Kursk for the first time since Russian forces ejected Ukrainian troops from the area last month.

Ukraine confirmed that Russia struck the camp near Shostka with an Iskander ballistic missile, but said six soldiers were killed and 10 injured.

It added that an investigation had been launched into the incident and the commander of the military unit suspended. Following previous deadly strikes on military training camps, Ukraine investigated possible negligence.

Footage taken from a Russian drone before the strike shows dozens of Ukrainian troops – identified by Russian media as the 1st Special Forces Brigade – training on the tarmac, before appearing to run for cover.

The video then shows the aftermath of the ballistic missile strike, which sparked a huge fireball explosion close to where the soldiers had been spotted.

The Russian defence ministry claimed the strike killed 70 soldiers, including 20 instructors, and destroyed an ammunition depot.

Ukraine’s northeastern Sumy region, from where Kyiv’s troops launched last year’s cross-border offensive into Kursk, has come under sustained bombardment in recent months as Moscow expels Ukraine’s forces from its territory.

“Good news. The guys reported that an Iskander hit the enemy in the Shostka area,” Putin said on his victory trip to Kursk.

Putin, dressed more casually than usual and appearing relaxed, toured the Kursk nuclear plant on Tuesday and drank tea with volunteers who helped those affected by the fighting.

In footage published by Russian state media, he told them that working during this “difficult situation” in the region will be the most “meaningful thing” they do in their lives. Many displaced civilians in Kursk have complained of a lack of government support.

The high-profile photo op appeared to be an attempt to project an image of strength and normality while fighting still rages on the edge of the region, according to Kyiv’s military.

Time-wasting allegation

It comes as the Kremlin this week rejected accusations from Ukraine and its allies that it was trying to drag out the peace process after the first direct talks between Ukraine and Russia last week produced nothing substantial.

Dmitry Peskov, the Kremlin spokesman, said Russia welcomed “the readiness and efforts of all parties who want to contribute to a speedy settlement”, but nothing had been decided yet about where the next meeting should be held.

US President Donald Trump said earlier this week, following a phone call with Putin, that “it would be great” for peace talks to take place at the Vatican. Giorgia Meloni, the Italian Prime Minister, later confirmed Pope Leo was willing to host the next rounds of negotiations.

Meanwhile, Ukraine has struck a major electronics factory inside Russia’s Oryol region. Footage showed a long-range drone targeted the site, sparking a huge blaze.

Ukraine’s general staff called it one of the “leading enterprises in Russia” for semiconductors and microelectronics, vital for the war effort.

Russia said it shot down a large-scale Ukrainian aerial onslaught across Russia overnight, destroying 159 drones, including 53 over the Oryol region and three over Moscow, sparking two city airports to temporarily suspend flights.

In Ukraine, Russian drone attacks killed two people and wounded five others in the Sumy region, local authorities said.