On April 13, 2025, Russian forces struck Sumy State University during a wave of missile strikes on Sumy that killed 35 individuals, including two university students.

Photos from the aftermath show severely damaged buildings, including shattered windows, doors, and destroyed laboratory equipment. The attack caused approximately $5.3 million in damages, according to the head of the university’s international affairs department.

Scholars at Risk is concerned about military forces targeting higher education facilities in armed conflict. Parties to a conflict may only attack legitimate military targets; where a party suspects that a civilian facility–such as a university building–is being used for military purposes, that party has a duty to take every action practicable to verify that this suspicion is correct before initiating an attack. In the event of such an attack, parties must take all practicable precautions to avoid or minimize damage to civilian facilities. Further, parties must refrain from launching attacks which may be expected to cause disproportionate damage to civilian facilities.

Sources:
https://www.pravda.com.ua/eng/news/2025/04/14/7507515/
https://sciencebusiness.net/international-news/sumy-state-university-sets-international-fundraiser-rebuild-devastated-campus
https://www.facebook.com/academicintegrity.eu/posts/our-thoughts-are-with-sumy-state-university-a-member-of-enai-following-the-devas/1184484217020048/