- January 28, 2026
- 4:41 pm
- Ukraine
About the consequences of the strike reported on January 28, 2026, the United Jewish Community of Ukraine: a Holocaust memorial, installed in 2021 in collaboration with local authorities, was destroyed, and a historic building of the former Jewish ghetto was damaged.
And on January 27 in Jerusalem
The Russian Embassy in Israel reported that “on January 27 in Jerusalem, on the occasion of the 82nd anniversary of the complete liberation of Leningrad from the fascist blockade and International Holocaust Remembrance Day Russian Ambassador to Israel A.D. Viktorov participated in the ceremony of laying wreaths and flowers at the Monument to the heroic defenders and residents of besieged Leningrad ‘Candle of Memory’“.
The official release stated that “the event was attended by Knesset members T. Mazarsky and V. Belyak, head of the Eurasia Department of the Israeli Foreign Ministry L. Vekselman, director of the ‘Eurasia-1’ Department of the Israeli Foreign Ministry A. Goldman-Shayman. …”
Ambassador Viktorov “expressed satisfaction that in the current difficult geopolitical conditions, preserving the memory of the tragic and heroic events of World War II and the Great Patriotic War remains a common value for the peoples of Russia and Israel“.
Well, it’s understandable – with a KAB on ‘common value for the peoples of Russia and Israel’ – it’s in the spirit of terrorists.
And let’s recall that already in the evening of January 27, a message appeared – “a Kyiv resident who survived the Holocaust froze to death due to a blackout arranged by Putin“.
For the sake of fairness, it should be noted that the message about “A KAB strike on the center of Belopillya in the Sumy region, among other things, destroyed a Holocaust memorial, installed by us in 2021 in collaboration with local authorities, and damaged a historic building of the former ghetto.” appeared only on the morning of January 28,
But, …
If we take the correct chronology of events, it was on January 15, 2026 that the Russian army struck with guided aerial bombs (KAB) on the center of the city of Belopillya in the Sumy region of Ukraine. A 35-year-old local resident was killed.
According to data provided in the ‘Suspilne’ report, it was initially reported about nine injured (six women and three men). Later, the police clarified the information: the number of victims increased to 11 people.
Separately, the consequences of the strike were reported by the United Jewish Community of Ukraine: a Holocaust memorial, installed in 2021 in collaboration with local authorities, was destroyed, and a historic building of the former Jewish ghetto was damaged.
What exactly was damaged in the city center
It concerns the civilian part of Belopillya.
The report describes the destruction and damage to public facilities, as well as infrastructure in the central area.
The head of the household of the 5th Belopillya Gymnasium Larisa Nalivayko talked about broken windows and damage in the dormitory. At the same time, she noted that a significant part of the staff lives in evacuation outside the city, but due to the consequences of the strike, people were urgently gathered for work.
Residents’ testimonies
Resident Oleg, who helped clean up near the destroyed store, said he was in a bar during the strike.
His thought sounds harsh and without diplomacy: the strike hit a civilian place, with no signs of armament, and people do not understand “what” could have been targeted here.
Local resident Valentina described a typical scene for such strikes: a sharp noise, doors flung open, flying windows, smoke. She specifically mentioned that Belopillya had already experienced something similar in 2024, and now the strike was repeated.
Bus station employee Violeta Kravchenko spoke about the scale of the building’s damage: “everything is torn out — doors and windows.”
Mayor’s position: the second strike — “right in the center”
City head Yuriy Zarko reported that there were two episodes: one strike — in a more remote part, the second — in the city center, on the exit from Sumy.
He clarified that the strike hit both an engineering infrastructure facility and a public facility simultaneously, and confirmed the death of a resident.
Destroyed Holocaust memorial and damaged ghetto building
The message from the United Jewish Community of Ukraine highlights a key detail: the airstrike destroyed a Holocaust memorial, installed in 2021 in collaboration with local authorities.
It also states that a historic building of the former ghetto was damaged.
In the reference part you provided, the context is emphasized: in the Jewish ghetto of Belopillya, 40 Jews were held before being shot. So this time, the war affected not only today’s residents but also the physical point of memory of past crimes.
How memorial signs were opened in Belopillya in 2021
In 2021, two memorial signs were opened in Belopillya.
The first — at the old Jewish cemetery, where the oldest matzevah dates back to 1898.
The second — on the initiative of the city council at the site of the Jewish ghetto in Belopillya, where 40 Jews were held before being shot.
The ceremony was attended by city head Yuriy Zarko, rabbi of Sumy and Sumy region Yehiel Levitan, director of the Sumy Jewish community Elizaveta Sherstyuk, representatives of the local community, and members of the Jewish community. The memorial signs, according to the description provided, were installed by the Sumy Jewish community with financial support from the United Jewish Community of Ukraine and with the support of the Belopillya city council.
Restoration of the memorial: what is planned
The United Jewish Community of Ukraine reported that together with the Belopillya city council, they received consent to restore the memorial sign.
The timing directly depends on safety: restoration will begin when the situation allows work without the risk of repeated strikes.
Geography: where is Belopillya located
Belopillya is the administrative center of the Belopillya city community in the Sumy district of the Sumy region.
The city is located approximately 44 km from the regional center (highway R44), on the river Vir, at the confluence with the river Kryga.
In your data, different population estimates appear (about 6 thousand and separately about 2 thousand) — against the backdrop of evacuations and people’s movements, such discrepancies in sources during wartime become common.
Why this episode is more important than a summary
The strike on the center of Belopillya on January 15, 2026, is simultaneously a human tragedy, the destruction of the civilian environment, and direct damage to a place that recorded the memory of the Holocaust at a specific point on the map.
That is why stories like Belopillya are important not only for locals: they show how war erases the boundary between “a strike on infrastructure” and a strike on historical memory — and therefore, on the identity and dignity of people. This is what NANews — News of Israel | Nikk.Agency writes about when it comes to the cost of war for the living and for memory.
