Russian forces launched a devastating ballistic missile strike on the Ukrainian city of Sumy on Sunday, killing more than 20 people in what Ukrainian officials describe as a direct attack on civilians.
According to local authorities, the first missile hit a central street in the city, followed moments later by a second strike in the same location.
The targeted area was a busy public road, where civilians were walking, driving, and commuting on public transport, including a trolleybus. Bodies were reportedly scattered along the street in the immediate aftermath.
The strike occurred on Palm Sunday, a religious holiday observed by Orthodox Christians. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called the timing of the attack deliberate and deceitful.
In a public statement, Zelenskyy said, “We are talking about dozens of dead and wounded civilians. Only scum can act like this—taking the lives of ordinary people. My condolences to the families and loved ones. A rescue operation is underway. All necessary services are working.”
He called for a decisive international response. “There must be a tough reaction from the world—from the United States, Europe, everyone who wants this war and the killings to end,” Zelenskyy said, urging allies to recognize the continued escalation as terrorism and not just warfare.
“This is exactly the kind of terror that Russia wants. It is deliberately prolonging this war,” the president added. “Without pressure on the aggressor, peace is impossible. Conversations have never stopped ballistic missiles or air bombs. Russia must be treated as the terrorist it is.”
This is not the first time Russia has targeted civilian areas with ballistic missiles. In an earlier incident in Kryvyi Rih, a missile strike hit a children’s playground, killing 19 people, including nine children. Over 70 others were injured in that attack.
Sunday’s strike in Sumy underscores a pattern of escalating attacks on non-military infrastructure.