Skip to main content

Relatives of Sudzha residents say no clearing equipment or medical aid available at site of boarding school strike

Relatives of residents in the town of Sudzha in Russia's partially occupied Kursk region have reported that around 100 people were inside a boarding school struck by an aerial bomb on Saturday. As of Saturday evening, they said, some remain trapped under the rubble, with no one available to clear it.

Russian opposition politician Lev Shlosberg shared an appeal from the family members, saying a group of them had asked him to make their message public.

The facility was reportedly being used as temporary housing for people who had lost their homes due to the fighting, as well as those in need of humanitarian and medical assistance. “Most of them are elderly and disabled. There may have been children, as we know they were definitely there before. Based on our lists, over 3,000 people remain in Sudzha, including more than 30 children,” the group wrote.

They also warned that survivors of the strike remain at risk of further attacks, noting that there’s nowhere in the facility for the residents to hide. “No one is listening to the people still in the Sudzhansky District of the Kursk region! Clearing the rubble requires specialized equipment, and the injured need urgent medical care — but none of that is available,” the appeal states.

Shlosberg called for the creation of a humanitarian corridor to evacuate civilians still in Sudzha through Ukraine’s Sumy region into Russia’s Bryansk region. He noted that in late November 2024, 46 people were evacuated along this route.

According to the Ukrainian authorities, the boarding school strike left 95 people trapped under the rubble. Ukraine’s General Staff reported that four people were killed in the strike, 84 were rescued, and four remain in critical condition.

The Ukrainian military has accused Russia of launching the bomb that hit the facility. “There is irrefutable evidence and objective monitoring data showing that the strike was carried out by Russian tactical aviation,” the Ukrainian Air Force wrote on Facebook, where it shared images of the bomb’s alleged flight path.

Russia’s Defense Ministry has claimed Ukrainian forces fired the strike from the Sumy region.

Sign up for Meduza’s daily newsletter

A digest of Russia’s investigative reports and news analysis. If it matters, we summarize it.

Protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.