The second missile, fired minutes after the first one, was armed with cluster munitions – used to inflict greater devastation on civilians.The strike soon sparked controversy as a local official accused Sumy Oblast Governor Volodymyr Artiukh of inadvertently giving Russia an excuse to attack. Following the deadly strike, Artem Semenikhin, the mayor of the Sumy Oblast city Konotop, accused Artiukh of planning an awards ceremony for the 117th Territorial Defense Brigade in Sumy on April 13. Artiukh confirmed the event was planned but denied responsibility for initiating it. He was dismissed on April 15. The Kyiv Independent reached out to the 117th Brigade for comment but has not received a response. The brigade has not publicly commented on the controversy.Soon after the attack, Russia's Defense Ministry claimed it had struck the command of the Siversk operational-tactical group in the city, though it provided no evidence.