At least 32 people were killed in a Russian missile strike in the Ukrainian city of Sumy on Sunday, officials said.
Officials said two ballistic missiles hit the heart of the city at about 10:15 a.m. local time as people gathered to celebrate Palm Sunday.
Images posted from the official channel show the black body bag lines on the roadside, while seeing more bodies wrapped in foil blankets in debris. The video also shows firefighters extinguishing from damaged buildings in shells that struggle to extinguish cars burning in rubble.
“Our community suffered a horrible tragedy on this bright Palm Sunday,” Acting Mayor Artem Kobzar said in a statement on social media. “Unfortunately, we have known that more than 20 people have died.”
At least 32 people were killed in the attack, an emergency ceremony in Ukraine said in a statement. It said another 84 people were injured, including 10 children.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed that rescue efforts were underway and said “dozens” were killed in a twin missile attack.
“According to preliminary information, dozens of civilians were killed and injured. Only dirty scum can do so – taking the lives of ordinary people.”
The attack on Sumy comes from the second massive attack that claimed civilian lives in just one week after a deadly missile strike on Zelenskyy’s hometown of Kryvyi Rih on April 4, killing about 20 people, including nine children.
Zelenskyy also called for a global response to the attack. “The negotiations have never stopped ballistic missiles and air bombs. What is needed is the attitude that Russia deserves,” he said.
French President Emmanuel Macron wrote on Sunday on X that the strike stressed the urgent need to impose a ceasefire on Russia.
“Everyone knows that one person only wants this war. It’s clear today that Russia just wants to continue, showing its ridicule of President Trump’s human life, international law and diplomatic efforts.”
Ukrainian Mayor Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov said elsewhere in Ukraine on Sunday that a Russian strike attacked a kindergarten in the city, shattering windows and destroying the facade of the building. No casualties.
Less than a day on strike, top diplomats in Russia and Ukraine alleged to stop strikes on energy infrastructure in violation of a tentative U.S. broker agreement, underscoring the challenge of negotiating the end of the three-year war.
Foreign ministers from both countries spoke at a separate event at the annual Antitala Diplomatic Forum, meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin on a peace prospect.
U.S. President Donald Trump blamed Ukraine for not ending the war with Russia as soon as possible by reaching a deal a few years ago. The comments are in response to Ukraine’s concerns over talks with Russia in Saudi Arabia.
“The Ukrainians attacked us from the very beginning, with maybe two or three exceptions,” said Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
His Ukrainian rival Andrii Sybiha fiercely fought for the claim, saying on Saturday that Russia launched “nearly 70 missiles, more than 2,200 missiles,” he said. [exploding] Since agreeing to a limited pause in the strike, drones and more than 6,000 leading air bombs in Ukraine have been agreed to.
