Russian Missile Attack on Sumy During Palm Sunday Kills 34

Russian missiles hit the center of Sumy, a city in northeastern Ukraine, while people gathered to celebrate Palm Sunday. At least 34 people died in what became the second major attack in just over a week to kill civilians in Ukraine.

According to the State Emergency Service of Ukraine, the dead included two children. Around 117 people got injured, including 15 children.

Officials said the two ballistic missiles hit at about 10:15 a.m. local time. Photos from the scene showed rows of black body bags along the road. More bodies were wrapped in foil blankets among the wreckage.

Ukrainian officials stated that 20 buildings were damaged. This included four educational institutions, several cafes, shops, and five apartment buildings. Ten cars and trams were also hit.

BBC Ukrainian reported that the university’s congress center, often used for children’s classes, was among the damaged sites. Local residents said the center was an “educational hub for the entire city” and “very actively rented out for various courses, clubs, and master classes”.

Officials in Sumy also said that the missiles had cluster munitions, which can kill randomly over large areas. The blasts caused burning vehicles and bent trees, where many of the deaths seemed to happen.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called for a strong international reaction to the attack. It happened while U.S. President Donald Trump continued his efforts to end the war.

“Russia wants exactly this kind of terror and is dragging out this war. Without pressure on the aggressor, peace is impossible,” he said.

Zelenskyy said one of the injured was a baby born this year. He added that medics were doing “everything they can” to save lives. “The strike hit right in the heart of the city on Palm Sunday,” he said in his evening video address. “Only completely deranged scum can do something like this taking the lives of ordinary people,” he added.

He also posted on social media that the first missile hit buildings at a city university, while the second exploded above street level. Andriy Yermak, the head of the Ukrainian president’s office, said the strike used cluster munitions to try to kill as many people as possible. The Associated Press could not confirm this claim.

World leaders also condemned the attack. French President Emmanuel Macron said it damaged U.S.-led efforts to bring peace. “Everyone knows: This war was initiated by Russia alone. 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 Mr. Trump, Macron said.

UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer called the attack “horrific”. He said, “President Zelensky has shown his commitment to peace, President Putin must now agree to a full and immediate ceasefire without conditions as Ukraine has done.”

Macron and Starmer are working together on a “coalition of the willing” to help carry out any peace deal in Ukraine.

The attack happened shortly after U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in St. Petersburg on Friday. The Kremlin said the meeting went on for over four hours and focused on “aspects of a Ukrainian settlement”. Russian envoy Kirill Dmitriev called it “productive” — it was Witkoff’s third meeting with Putin this year.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio gave his condolences to the victims of the “horrifying Russian missile attack on Sumy.” He said, “This is a tragic reminder of why President Trump and his Administration are putting so much time and effort into trying to end this war and achieve a just and durable peace.”