At least 31 people were killed and more than 80 wounded – including 10 children – in a Russian missile attack in the center of the Ukrainian city of Sumy on Palm Sunday.
Two ballistic missiles struck residential areas as crowds of people headed to the church carrying willow branches, as is customary for the day because of Palm Sunday. One of the missiles hit a trolley full of passengers, causing chaos.
Video from the scene shows charred vehicles, bodies in the street and bloodied rescuers carrying survivors.
“I managed to turn just before the explosion. Everything blew up: the windows, the doors… It was a very powerful explosion,” said a survivor, with a bandage on his head.
Spansan, a sponge spanner.
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Russia of targeted terrorism and called on the US, Europe and the rest of the world to react “harshly.”
“The Russian missiles hit a normal street, normal life: houses, educational institutions, cars on the street… And all this on a day when people go to church – Palm Sunday,” Zelensky said in a post. “Only a scumbag can do this. Russia wants exactly this type of terrorism and is deliberately prolonging the war. Without pressure on the aggressor, there will be no peace.”
According to local authorities, the missiles “completely destroyed” the city’s human rights centre and caused extensive damage to buildings in the center.
Patriot missile deployment demanded by Ukraine
The attack comes at a time of intense shelling by Russia, despite Ukraine having accepted a US proposal for a 30-day ceasefire. Zelensky called for the shipment of ten more Patriot air defence systems, stressing that “talks do not stop at missiles” and referring to the recent shipment of additional systems to Israel due to rising tensions with Iran.
“We need the treatment befitting terrorists,” Zelensky stressed, expressing gratitude to those who support Ukraine.
Framework for talks and a new cycle of violence
The attack comes two days after Russian President Vladimir Putin held talks with Donald Trump’s special envoy, Steve Whitcoff, in St. Petersburg. Ukraine has accepted the US plan for a temporary ceasefire, but the attacks have not stopped. Earlier this month, a rocket hit a playground in Krivni Rih, killing nine children and nine adults.
Sumi is located just 25 kilometers from the Russian border and is a strategic hub for the Ukrainian military. Today’s attacks hit a busy area in the city center during rush hour.
Vehicle camera footage shows the moment one of the missiles hits, with a bright orange light filling the screen and people running in panic as smoke covers the city sky.
