More than 30 killed in Russian missile strike on Ukraine
Two ballistic missiles struck the heart of Sumy as local people gathered to celebrate Palm Sunday.
At least 32 people have been killed in a Russian missile strike on the Ukrainian city of Sumy.
Local officials said two ballistic missiles struck the heart of the city at around 10.30am local time as people gathered to celebrate Palm Sunday.
Images posted from the scene on official channels showed lines of black body bags lying on the side of the road, while more bodies were seen wrapped in foil blankets among the debris.
Video footage also showed fire crews as they fought to extinguish the shells of burnt-out cars among the rubble from damaged buildings.
The city’s acting mayor, Artem Kobzar, said on social media initially: “On this bright Palm Sunday, our community has suffered a terrible tragedy. Unfortunately, we already know of more than 20 deaths.”
At least 32 people were killed as a result of the attack, including two children, the State Emergency Service of Ukraine said in a statement.
A further 99 people were injured, including 11 children, it said.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed rescue efforts are ongoing and he said “dozens” had been killed in the double missile attack.
“According to preliminary information, dozens of civilians were killed and wounded,” he said. “Only filthy scum can act like this – taking the lives of ordinary people.”
Mr Zelensky called for a global response to the attack, adding: “Talks have never stopped ballistic missiles and aerial bombs. What’s needed is an attitude toward Russia that a terrorist deserves.”
The attack on Sumy is the second large-scale attack to claim civilian lives in just over a week, following a deadly missile strike on Mr Zelensky’s hometown of Kryvyi Rih on April 4 that killed some 20 people, including nine children.
Other world leaders also condemned the attack, with French President Emmanuel Macron saying the strike undermines Washington-led peace talks between the two sides.
“Everyone knows: This war was initiated by Russia alone,” he wrote in a statement. “And today, it is clear that Russia alone chooses to continue it – with blatant disregard for human lives, international law and the diplomatic efforts of President Trump.”
Elsewhere in Ukraine, a 62-year-old woman was killed in Russian shelling on the city of Kherson, regional governor Oleksandr Prokudin said.
The mayor of the city of Kharkiv, Ihor Terekhov, said a Russian strike had hit a kindergartens, shattering windows and damaging the building’s facade. No casualties were reported.
It comes less than a day after Russia and Ukraine’s top diplomats accused each other of violating a tentative US-brokered deal to pause strikes on energy infrastructure, underscoring the challenges of negotiating an end to the three-year war.
The two countries’ foreign ministers spoke at separate events at the annual Antalya Diplomacy Forum, a day after US envoy Steve Witkoff met with Russian President Vladimir Putin to discuss peace prospects.
“The Ukrainians have been attacking us from the very beginning, every passing day, maybe with two or three exceptions,” Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov said, adding that Moscow would provide the US, Turkey and international bodies with a list of Kyiv’s attacks during the past three weeks.
His Ukrainian counterpart, Andrii Sybiha, fiercely contested that claim, saying on Saturday that Russia had launched “almost 70 missiles, over 2,200 (exploding) drones, and over 6,000 guided aerial bombs at Ukraine, mostly at civilians,” since agreeing to the limited pause on strikes.
The attack on Sumy on Sunday is the second large-scale attack to claim civilian lives in just over a week, following a deadly missile strike on Mr Zelensky’s hometown of Kryvyi Rih on April 4 that killed some 20 people, including nine children.
