Unbelievable heroism of Sumy citizens

“Inhabitants of Sumy, you have been the first to stand up to the Russian invaders. The region of Sumy has become a bone in the throat for the aggressors. Ordinary people fashioned and threw Molotov cocktails, made the first prisoners and put fire to an entire enemy column,” said Ukrainian President Volodymir Zelensky in his New Year message.

The city of Sumy, 300 km east of Kyiv and only 30 km from the Russian border  is built as a bastion by Cossacks in the 17th century. The day of the invasion on February 24, 2022 it had 260,000 inhabitants. The paratroopers and the police had been ordered the day before to the capital Kyiv to protect Hostomel airport. Thus the towns-people were on their own with nobody to help. Would they surrender? Have they any choice? In face of the numerous tanks any resistance is a lost cause.

They are workmen, students, teachers, scientists, administrators, housewives and about 20 experienced soldiers. The latter lead a bunch of volunteers to the arms depot of the parachutists where they find some guns, grenade launchers and even portable anti-tank weapons. By and by some 400 men have learnt handling them, others improvise a network of communications between groups of observers and scouts and the fast-formed groups of territorial defense. Children make Molotow cocktails, women siphon the fuel out of the tanks and trucks in order to immobilize them. At dusk they fire their guns out of the windows at the unsuspecting enemies.

Municipal councilors Sergey and Igor, both 29 later relate: “There was no instruction nor coordination with any central command. We have improvised and invented all ourselves.”

In the second week they have already captured several scores of prisoners. The Russians begin to panic. The call of a young soldier to his mother was intercepted: “Mum, the officers tell us to traverse the city of Sumy, but none of our columns survived the attempt.” – “ They did not survive?” – “No, the Ukrainians fight us so hard that I want to deposit my gun.”

Now the Russians  change strategy. They encircle the city and mount checkpoints at the principal access roads. The Sumy citizens also change tactics: In civilian clothes without military protection, toting rifles, machine guns and rocket launchers they raid the checkpoints. Other enemies are lured into ambushes. Unfortunately they also suffer casualties. But they never give up. They refine their tactics and use the few shoulder-fired weapons to destroy tens of tanks. Many turrets are ripped off the burning carcasses. Not one of the long column passes through Sumy. After six weeks of heroic fighting, on April 6, 2022 is the day of the unbelievable victory of Sumy citizens over a detachment of the allegedly second-mighty army of the world. The surviving Russians return to Russia.

Erich Wannemacher