Russia used Grad rocket artillery in deadly Sumy attack on 3 June
Russian forces used a 122 mm BM-21 Grad multiple-launch rocket system, with a range of up to 40 km, to strike the city of Sumy on 3 June.
Source: Ukrainska Pravda article: Are you advancing on Tyotkino? We're tripping over the same mistake: What's happening in Sumy as Russian forces push forward (English translation coming soon)
Details: On the morning of 3 June, Russian forces attacked cars at traffic lights in central Sumy, killing three people. Three others – a 17-year-old, an 86-year-old woman and a 43-year-old man – died in hospital. The man's 7-year-old daughter, Masha, was transferred to Okhmatdyt Children's Hospital in Kyiv with shrapnel in her lungs.
Local media, Sumy Oblast Military Administration and later President Volodymyr Zelenskyy initially reported that the Russians likely fired on the city with long-range rocket artillery. On social media, Sumy residents and journalists speculated it could have been a Russian Tornado MLRS, with a range of 120 km, suggesting no new threat to the city had emerged and urging calm.
However, Ukrainska Pravda reports this is likely incorrect. Our sources in a law enforcement agency, later confirmed by the Office of the Prosecutor General, indicate the attack involved a BM-21 Grad, with a range of 20-40 kilometres.
Russian forces used 122 mm extended-range 9M521 rockets in the city centre. These highly-explosive fragmentation rockets are designed for use against infantry, unarmoured, or lightly armoured vehicles. Fired from Grad or the upgraded Tornado-G systems, a single salvo can launch up to 40 rockets, each containing around 1,000 fragments. The maximum range is 40 km.
BM-21 Grad MLRS
Stock photo: Russian webpages
Sources in law enforcement told Ukrainska Pravda that the Grad strike had been launched from Russian territory, confirming no heavy equipment, artillery, or MLRS is present in Russian-occupied villages in Sumy Oblast. Measuring 30-40 kilometres from the strike point in Sumy, the Grad system was likely positioned in Russian villages such as Sinyak, Kulbaki, or Novoivanovka to the north, or Guevo or Gornali to the east.
Where could the Russian BM-21 Grad that attacked Sumy on 3 June 2025 have been located?
Source: Ukrainska Pravda; DeepStateMap, an interactive map of hostilities in Ukraine
Quote: "What are we saying here? The Russians managed to position a Grad system near the border and open fire, while Ukrainian units failed to detect or neutralise it. This represents a new level of risk for Sumy."
More details: Nevertheless, the rocket artillery strikes on Sumy have not yet become widespread, suggesting the 3 June attack may have been an attempt to intimidate civilians and pressure Ukraine into negotiation compromises. The implication appears to be: "We're hitting Sumy with MLRS; you risk losing more if you don't meet our terms."
However, even Russia's most severe attacks on Sumy, Kyiv, or other cities have not shifted Ukraine's resolve. They only strengthen Ukrainians' determination to defend their cities.
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