Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky removed the governor of the northeastern Sumy region in response to a fatal missile attack by Russia on the regional capital, officials announced on Tuesday.

Taras Melnychuk, the Ukrainian government’s representative to parliament, confirmed via a Telegram message the dismissal of Sumy Governor Volodymyr Artiukh as well as Luhansk Governor Artem Lysohor. No specific reasons for their removal were given.

Oleh Hryhorov, who previously served as the police chief in Luhansk, has been appointed as the new governor of Sumy, while Oleksii Kharchenka, the former mayor of Siverskodonetsk, will assume leadership of the Luhansk region.

The decision to remove Artiukh comes amidst backlash from local officials who criticized him for organizing a military awards event on the same day that Russia executed a ballistic missile strike on Sumy. That attack resulted in the deaths of at least 35 individuals and left another 117 injured.

The Russian Defense Ministry claimed it targeted a “meeting place of command staff” with two Iskander-M missiles, asserting that the strike resulted in over 60 Ukrainian military casualties. While the ministry acknowledged civilian injuries, it attributed the blame to Kyiv, alleging that the ceremony took place in a heavily populated area.

Amid growing international condemnation, the Kremlin denied any intention to target civilians or residential areas, reiterating its stance that Russian forces only strike military or military-affiliated sites.

Mariana Bezuhla, a Ukrainian legislator critical of the military command, accused Artiukh and a senior general managing Ukraine’s ground operations in the east of putting civilians at risk by allowing the ceremony to take place.

In an interview with Ukraine’s Suspilne broadcaster, Artiukh stated that he had received an invitation to the ceremony but was not responsible for organizing it. He refrained from naming who was accountable.