A deadly Russian missile strike hit the Ukrainian city of Sumy on Sunday morning, killing at least 34 people and wounding over 117. The attack came as people gathered to celebrate Palm Sunday. Two children were among the dead, Ukraine’s emergency services confirmed.
The strike happened at around 10:15 a.m. Local officials said two ballistic missiles hit the area. One missile struck university buildings, and the second exploded above street level. Photos and videos from the scene showed black body bags lined up along the road. Burned cars and destroyed buildings were seen as rescue workers searched for survivors.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy condemned the attack, calling the attackers “filthy scum.” He also said such strikes prove Russia has no regard for human life or international law. Zelenskyy again asked for a strong global response and called Russia a “terrorist” state.
The head of Ukraine’s presidential office, Andriy Yermak, claimed that Russia used cluster munitions in the attack. However, this claim could not be independently confirmed.
This deadly strike came just days after another Russian attack on April 4 in Kryvyi Rih, Zelenskyy’s hometown, which killed 20 people, including nine children.
Other parts of Ukraine also suffered attacks on Sunday. Three people died in the Kherson region, and one person was killed in Donetsk. In Kharkiv, a missile hit a kindergarten, damaging the building, but no injuries were reported.
Meanwhile, Russia claimed the Sumy attack targeted military leaders, not civilians. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said the strike killed at least 60 senior Ukrainian and Western military commanders. Lavrov also claimed NATO officers were present during the meeting.
Russia’s Defense Ministry backed Lavrov’s statement, saying Ukraine was using civilian buildings to host military meetings. Lavrov accused Ukraine of placing weapons and troops near schools, homes, and stores, using civilians as human shields.
Some local Ukrainian officials also raised concerns about the location of the military meeting. Artyom Semenikhin, mayor of Konotop and a member of the Svoboda party, blamed the regional military administration for holding the meeting so close to the front line.
Sumy is only 25 kilometers from the Russian border. The area has seen heavy fighting in recent weeks.
The deadly strike also happened as peace talks, brokered by the US, were facing trouble. Both Russia and Ukraine accused each other of breaking a deal to stop attacks on energy sites. Russia claims Ukraine keeps launching attacks, while Ukraine says Russia has fired thousands of missiles and drones at civilian targets even after the agreement.
US officials called the Sumy attack a serious blow to peace efforts. Retired US Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg said the strike crossed “any line of decency” and called it a clear attack on civilians. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio called the attack “horrifying” and said the US would keep working for peace.
These nations, especially Europeans, should understand that peace has not been achieved yet because European nations have not shown intent for it. Russia and the US are negotiating, but the EU has constantly given statements that do not look in favour of peace. At the same time, Russia can not stop its attacks until and unless Ukraine stops or comes to the negotiating table. Hence, calling Russia as Russians do not want peace will be a wrong statement.
