(Image by NEIVANMADE)
As I start writing tonight’s update, at 10:00 PM EDT/5:00 AM local time, air raid alerts have gone up for all of eastern and central Ukraine.
This is after Russia launched another genocidal missile attack on civilian targets in Sumy’s city center this morning.
WARNING!! WARNING!! GRAPHIC CONTENT!! WARNING!! WARNING!!
Absolute hell in Sumy. People were out on Palm Sunday when Russia hit the city center with two ballistic missiles. Bodies are lying in the streets. This isn’t a ‘conflict’ — it’s Russia’s war of aggression. Stop Russian terror, for God’s sake!
— Maria Avdeeva (@mariainkharkiv.bsky.social) April 13, 2025 at 4:41 AM
This is what “partial ceasefire” in the sphere of energy looks like in reality: #Russia may target #Ukraine’s power plants less frequently — but has doubled down on killing Ukrainians, including children. A week ago, it struck Kryvyi Rih; this time, it’s Sumy.
— Jana Kobzova (@jkobzova.bsky.social) April 13, 2025 at 9:03 AM
At least 24 people russia murdered in Sumy today.
24 people gone, just like that.
At least 84 got injured, including 7 children.
Bloody bastards!
— Kate from Kharkiv (@kateinkharkiv.bsky.social) April 13, 2025 at 6:48 AM
Tragic update from Sumy💔
34 civilians killed, including two children
117 civilians injured, including 15 children— Iryna Voichuk (@irynavoichuk.bsky.social) April 13, 2025 at 11:46 AM
A Palm Sunday church service in the Ukrainian city of Sumy interrupted, as Russians massacre 34 people near another church just 3 blocks away.
When Russia murders church goers on Palm Sunday, where are all the defenders of Christian values with crosses in their bios?
— Kate from Kharkiv (@kateinkharkiv.bsky.social) April 13, 2025 at 5:22 PM
Russia isn’t a country anymore — it’s a curse, possessed by demons and fueled by blood.
#Ukraine— Iryna Voichuk (@irynavoichuk.bsky.social) April 13, 2025 at 7:12 AM
The death toll after the Russian missile attack on Sumy has risen to 34, including 2 children, according to the State Emergency Service of Ukraine.
Additionally, 117 people have been injured, among them 15 children.
The photo shows the Martynenko family, who tragically died today.
— Kate from Kharkiv (@kateinkharkiv.bsky.social) April 13, 2025 at 12:40 PM
ALL CLEAR!!!
It seems clear this was a double-tap attack – of the type the Russians developed in Syria: Hit an area, and then follow up with another strike when first responders arrive, to kill them as well. However, if so, the missiles used were inaccurate – the second strike hit over 100m from assumed target.
— Euan MacDonald (@euanmacdonald.bsky.social) April 13, 2025 at 1:29 PM
More on Sumy after the jump.
All that Trump and his team are doing, let alone what Musk is doing in using Trump to pursue his own interests, simply encourages and engages Putin to continue to escalate using the tools he has. The vast majority of Russia’s daily attacks on Ukraine are NOT acts of war between the Russian and Ukrainian military. Rather, they are these genocidal attacks on civilian targets intended to kill as many Ukrainian non-combatants as possible in order to terrorize the Ukrainians into capitulating to his genocidal objectives.
There can be no truce, no ceasefire, and certainly no negotiated peace with Putin and Russia because Putin and Russia DO NOT want a truce, a ceasefire, or a negotiated peace. Putin wants Ukraine and if he can’t have it then no one can. Not even the Ukrainians.
Here is President Zelenskyy’s address from earlier today. Video below, English transcript afte the jump.
I Thank Everyone Who Stands with Sumy Today, Who Supports One Another and Who Does Everything to Defend and Strengthen Ukraine and Ukrainians – Address by the President
13 April 2025 – 19:33
Dear Ukrainians!
Sumy… As of now, it is known that 34 people have been killed. My condolences to all their families and loved ones. Those were two Russian ballistic missiles. The first hit a building – one of the university buildings. The second exploded right over the street. 117 people were wounded, including children – among them, a baby girl born in 2025. Doctors and all medical workers are doing everything they can to help and save as many lives as possible. I am grateful to all the emergency services who were on the scene within minutes and began rescue operations. The strike hit right in the heart of the city. On Palm Sunday. Only completely deranged scum can do something like this.
Today, many world leaders, diplomats, many ordinary people with big hearts expressed their condolences to Ukraine, to Ukrainians. They condemned the Russian strike. There are already statements from the leaders and heads of government of France, the United Kingdom, Germany, Denmark, Finland, Poland, the leadership of the European Union, the Baltic States – Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia. I am grateful to the Prime Ministers of Croatia and Bulgaria, the President of Moldova, the Prime Minister of the Netherlands, the President of Slovakia, the Prime Minister of Sweden. I am confident there will be support from many other leaders as well. I would like to thank everyone who remembers that wars end when the crimes of war are not forgotten – and when the aggressor is met with enough pressure. And that’s exactly what’s missing right now.
This Friday marked exactly one month since Russia spurned the U.S. proposal for a full and unconditional ceasefire. They are not afraid. That’s why they keep launching ballistic missiles. That’s why there are nearly a hundred attack drones every night – most of them Shaheds – targeting ordinary Ukrainian cities. Russian assaults on the frontline continue as well. They do not stop attacking. They do not stop spreading hatred through their state propaganda. Only pressure – only decisive action – can change this. Every Russian ballistic missile, every cruise missile, every Russian Shahed, every guided bomb strikes not only our people and our communities, but also diplomacy – and the political efforts of everyone trying to end this war.
We will continue doing everything we can to protect our people and save lives. I am grateful to all the countries and leaders who are helping us. Very important this week were the decisions on new support packages for Ukraine – after the Ramstein meeting and on a bilateral basis. Ukraine will definitely endure. We will definitely provide our state, our people, with reliable security guarantees. And we definitely remember: only together are we strong enough to achieve our goals. I thank everyone who stands with Sumy today. I thank everyone who supports one another and who does everything to defend and strengthen Ukraine and Ukrainians.
Glory to Ukraine!
Georgia:
“Antsukhelidze is immortal,” “the enemy of his own nation will not go unpunished,” can be heard again and again on Day 137, with the latest intensification of the regime imposition of Russian historical narratives.
It’s a rainy Palm Sunday in Tbilisi. #GeorgiaProtests— Marika Mikiashvili 🇬🇪🇺🇦🇪🇺 (@marikamikiashvili.bsky.social) April 13, 2025 at 1:51 PM
A nice 🇬🇪🇪🇺 umbrella setting. You can also see 🇺🇦 in the distance, although, unfortunately, they weren’t waving it when I made the shot.
— Marika Mikiashvili 🇬🇪🇺🇦🇪🇺 (@marikamikiashvili.bsky.social) April 13, 2025 at 1:54 PM
📣 This year’s @journalismfestival.com hosted a panel: “Journalism Under Pressure: Freedom of the Press in Georgia.”
@irmadimitradze.bsky.social,
@mariamnikuradze.bsky.social,
Ilona Diasamidze, and Tamar Kintsurashvili spoke about the worsening media landscape.▶️ Watch the full panel here:
#ijf25
— Batumelebi&Netgazeti (@netgazeti.org) April 13, 2025 at 11:54 AM
Poland:
13 April 1943 | The German radio broadcasted the news about the discovery in Katyn Forest of mass graves of Polish prisoners of war murdered by Soviet NKVD in 1940.
Today in Poland we observe the Day of Remembrance of Victims of the #Katyn Massacre. katynpromemoria.pl/the-history-…
— Auschwitz Memorial (@auschwitzmemorial.bsky.social) April 13, 2025 at 6:00 AM
OTD in 1940 USSR began 2nd mass deportation of civilians from Poland’s east borderlands occupied by the Soviets on Sept. 17, 1939. There were 4 waves of deportations from Feb 1940 to June 1941, *before* Nazis invaded us, while we were still allies
Imagine this happening today..
— Darth Putin (@darthputinkgb.bsky.social) April 13, 2025 at 5:50 AM
The US:
Interesting—so everything before that was still within the bounds of decency?
— WarTranslated (Dmitri) (@wartranslated.bsky.social) April 13, 2025 at 9:13 AM
Back to Ukraine.
The Trump administration’s weak negotiating strategy – enabled by Witkof, who merely panders to Putin- has pushed us further from peace. Their incompetence in economics is matched by their incompetence in diplomacy.
— Tatarigami (@tatarigami.bsky.social) April 13, 2025 at 10:34 AM
Engaging with a fascist dictator signals weakness and encourages more aggression.
When is the West ever going to learn this?
— Euan MacDonald (@euanmacdonald.bsky.social) April 13, 2025 at 1:03 PM
More from Sumy:
WARNING!! WARNING!! GRAPHIC IMAGERY!! WARNING!! WARNING!!
‼️UPD Sumy. 31 civilians killed, including two children, in russian missile attack on the city. Over 80 people are injured, including 10 children.
#Ukraine— Iryna Voichuk (@irynavoichuk.bsky.social) April 13, 2025 at 6:56 AM
Sumy today
— Kate from Kharkiv (@kateinkharkiv.bsky.social) April 13, 2025 at 12:04 PM
Sumy’s downtown, Palm Sunday.
Families out, heading to church.
Then, Russia struck. Thirty-one lives stolen, over eighty wounded. A day of faith turned to horror.
— Kate from Kharkiv (@kateinkharkiv.bsky.social) April 13, 2025 at 7:49 AM
🇺🇦⚡ Russia hit Sumy with missiles with cluster munitions!
This provided the Russian killers with the maximum number of victims. Most of the victims were in a trolleybus, almost all passengers were killed.— Vitalis Viva (@vitalisviva.bsky.social) April 13, 2025 at 8:51 AM
🇺🇦⚡ In Sumy, 32 people have been killed so far, including 2 children!
84 people were injured, including 10 children.
Work at the site of the tragedy continues.
🙏 Our sincere condolences to the families and friends of the victims…— Vitalis Viva (@vitalisviva.bsky.social) April 13, 2025 at 8:51 AM
‼️UPD Sumy. The death toll from the russian missile attack has risen to 24, including a child. 84 other civilians are injured, among them seven children.
#Ukraine— Iryna Voichuk (@irynavoichuk.bsky.social) April 13, 2025 at 6:15 AM
Russian chats celebrate that their army murdered people in Sumy. Putin’s war?
— Kate from Kharkiv (@kateinkharkiv.bsky.social) April 13, 2025 at 10:08 AM
On Sunday morning, russia struck the very heart of Sumy with two Iskander missiles, unleashing devastation that killed 21 civilians and injured 83 others — among them, seven innocent children.
— Iryna Voichuk (@irynavoichuk.bsky.social) April 13, 2025 at 5:35 AM
🕯️Sumy. As of 13:00, 24 people are known to have been killed, including 1 child, as a result of a Russian terrorist attack with two ballistic missiles. 84 people were injured, including 7 children.
— 🦋Special Kherson Cat🐈🇺🇦 (@specialkhersoncat.bsky.social) April 13, 2025 at 6:29 AM
ALL CLEAR!!!!
Kharkiv:
Russian drones in Kharkiv skies right now ‼️
— Kate from Kharkiv (@kateinkharkiv.bsky.social) April 13, 2025 at 10:30 PM
Russia also struck a kindergarten in Kharkiv with a drone. Thankfully, it was empty.
— Kate from Kharkiv (@kateinkharkiv.bsky.social) April 13, 2025 at 7:51 AM
Donetsk Oblast:
Destroyed North Korean M-1978 self-propelled gun in Donetsk region.https://t.me/chornyi_stryzh/126
— 🦋Special Kherson Cat🐈🇺🇦 (@specialkhersoncat.bsky.social) April 13, 2025 at 1:14 PM
That’s enough for tonight.
Your daily Patron!
There are no new Patron skeets or videos today.
Here is some adjacent material.
Breakfast in eastern Ukraine! Beautiful homeless pup visits one of the Hachiko food stations.
— Nate Mook (@natemook.bsky.social) April 9, 2025 at 9:40 AM
Open thread!
rekoob
Adam — Thank you for this. As awful as the attacks on Sumy are on us humans, there’s some solace in knowing that Hachiko is there for the animals.
YY_Sima Qian
It seems like Kellogg is suffering from cognitive dissonance, between his past (presumably more sincere) stance wrt Ukraine/Russian, & the need to defend Trump’s policies.
Jay
As always, thank you, Adam.
Jay
https://nitter.poast.org/Gerashchenko_en/status/1911466541788659874#m
Jay
https://nitter.poast.org/Gerashchenko_en/status/1911376016842309950#m
AlaskaReader
Thanks Adam
Aussie Sheila
Any word yet from that very recent Catholic convert JD Vance about this deliberate act of murder on Palm Sunday? What a fucking disgrace. And I mean everything about it, including the deafening silence from the demented criminal WH.
Adam L Silverman
@rekoob: You’re welcome.
Adam L Silverman
@Jay: You’re welcome.
Adam L Silverman
@AlaskaReader: You’re welcome.
Traveller
On a more upbeat note, there was an excellent interview with President Zelenskyy on 60 Minutes. This is a man that truly has risen to his moment in History…so much so that regardless of how this terribleness ends, he is set in stone as what as Statesman can be at best….tonight’s invitation to Mr Trump to come to Ukraine, to see the people, to also see, though he doesn’t say this, to see the dead, the deaths, the murderous destruction inflicted by…(his Russian friends…though just let me leave it at…)…inflicted by Mr Putin.
Here is a youtube link to the interview…good stuff.
https://youtu.be/odFTqgm0984?si=6lk9OR1nBva5flIp
Best Wishes, Traveller
Westyny
Thanks, Adam, for your fortitude.
Aussie Sheila
Yes, thank you Adam. I read your missives but I have been a bit slack lately with the ‘thank yous’.
I honestly don’t know how you do it. It’s enraging enough reading it, let alone having to research, read and put it all together.
Adam L Silverman
@Traveller: Well I was saving that for tomorrow night.
Adam L Silverman
@Westyny: @Aussie Sheila: You’re both welcome. And thanks are not necessary from you all or anyone. I appreciate them, but they’re not necessary.
Traveller
@Adam L Silverman: Ahhh, sorry…I try not to say anything unless it is additive…your take will be better than mine anyway, feel free to delete my posting. Thanks, no problem to me…respect to you. Traveller
bad Jim
“Today, many world leaders, diplomats, many ordinary people with big hearts expressed their condolences to Ukraine, to Ukrainians. They condemned the Russian strike.” Conspicuous by its absence from the list of countries which followed was the United States.
Aussie Sheila
@bad Jim:
Theres no coming back from this. None.
Jay
@bad Jim:
Rubio said some empty words. Gen. Kellogg said some empty words. Witkoff was too busy sucking Putin’s ass to say anything. Functional silence from DJTdiot. No words from your sitting President, Edolf as the talking points have not yet arrived from ruZZia.
Adam L Silverman
@Traveller: No worries. Now I don’t have to go looking for the link.
sab
@Aussie Sheila: As an Ohioan, I feel endlessly disgraced that we elected Vance twice to high office, once to the Senate and then to VP.
He has spent his whole adult life denigrating us, so we keep electing him to higher offices so he can continue the denigration. Of course that proves his point, that we in Ohio are worthless idiots. Why else would we elect him to anything.
Aussie Sheila
@sab:
Of all the unbelievably stupid, criminal and compromised members of the demented moronic criminal’s Cabinet, Vance is by far the worst. He’s intelligent, ideological and to me, clearly means business. Of the worst kind.
The world and the US better hope he’s defeated in 2028.