At least 34 people, including two children, have been confirmed dead and 117 others injured following a devastating Russian missile strike on the northeastern Ukrainian city of Sumy on Sunday, according to Ukrainian authorities. The attack, one of the deadliest in recent months, has sparked global outrage and renewed calls for peace.
Two ballistic missiles reportedly struck the city centre early Sunday morning, igniting chaos as cars burned and bodies lay motionless in the streets. Emergency responders described a grim scene, with silver sheets covering the dead while rescuers searched through the rubble of a building adjacent to a destroyed trolleybus.
President Volodymyr Zelensky, in his evening address, underscored the emotional impact of the assault, noting that it occurred on Palm Sunday—a sacred day in the Christian calendar. “Only completely deranged scum can do something like this,” he declared.
According to Zelensky, the strike caused widespread destruction beyond the immediate blast site. “In addition to the university, the strike damaged five apartment buildings, cafes, shops, and the district court. In total, the Russian attack damaged 20 buildings,” he said. Of the 68 victims hospitalized, eight remain in critical condition.
The head of Ukraine’s military intelligence agency, Kyrylo Budanov, confirmed on Telegram that Russia deployed two Iskander-M/KN-23 ballistic missiles in the assault.
The international community reacted swiftly and sharply to the attack. United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres said he was “deeply alarmed and shocked,” calling the strike part of a “devastating pattern” of recent attacks on Ukrainian urban areas.
From aboard Air Force One, U.S. President Donald Trump called the strike “a horrible thing” and referred to it as a “mistake,” although he did not clarify who made the error. “You’re gonna ask them,” he told reporters, adding, “I think the whole war is a horrible thing.”
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio described the attack as “horrifying” and a “tragic reminder” of the stakes involved, reaffirming the Trump administration’s commitment to securing a durable peace.
The strike came just two days after U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff visited Moscow to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin in an attempt to advance diplomatic negotiations aimed at ending the war.
In a heartfelt appeal, President Zelensky urged President Trump to visit Ukraine to witness the war’s impact firsthand. “Before any kind of decisions, any kind of forms of negotiations, come to see people, civilians, warriors, hospitals, churches, children destroyed or dead,” Zelensky pleaded in an upcoming CBS interview.
As Ukrainians grieve, the Sumy strike serves as a chilling reminder of the human toll of war, and the urgent need for a resolution to the prolonged conflict that continues to devastate lives and communities.
