A minimum of 32 folks have been killed in a Russian missile strike on the Ukrainian metropolis of Sumy on Sunday, officers stated.
Two ballistic missiles struck the guts of town round 10:15 a.m. native time as folks gathered to rejoice Palm Sunday, in keeping with officers.
Pictures posted from the scene on official channels confirmed traces of black physique baggage mendacity on the aspect of the highway, whereas extra our bodies have been seen wrapped in foil blankets among the many particles. Video footage additionally confirmed fireplace crews as they fought to extinguish the shells of burnt-out vehicles among the many rubble from broken buildings.
“On this shiny Palm Sunday, our neighborhood has suffered a horrible tragedy,” performing mayor Artem Kobzar stated in a press release on social media. “Sadly, we already know of greater than 20 deaths.”
A minimum of 32 folks have been killed because of the assault, together with two kids, the State Emergency Service of Ukraine stated in a press release. An additional 84 folks have been injured, together with 10 kids, it stated.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed that rescue efforts have been ongoing and stated “dozens” had been killed within the double missile assault.
“In response to preliminary info, dozens of civilians have been killed and wounded. Solely filthy scum can act like this — taking the lives of abnormal folks,” he stated.
The assault on Sumy is the second large-scale assault to say civilian lives in simply over every week, following a lethal missile strike on Zelenskyy’s hometown of Kryvyi Rih on April 4 that killed some 20 folks, together with 9 kids.
Zelenskyy additionally known as for a world response to the assault. “Talks have by no means stopped ballistic missiles and aerial bombs. What’s wanted is an angle towards Russia {that a} terrorist deserves,” he stated.
The strike highlights the pressing want to impose a ceasefire on Russia, wrote French President Emmanuel Macron on X on Sunday.
“Everybody is aware of it’s Russia alone that wishes this warfare. At this time it’s clear that Russia alone desires to proceed with it, displaying its scorn for human life, worldwide regulation and diplomatic efforts made by President Trump,” Macron stated.
Elsewhere in Ukraine, the mayor of the Ukrainian metropolis of Kharkiv, Ihor Terekhov, stated Sunday {that a} Russian strike had hit one of many metropolis’s kindergartens, shattering home windows and damaging the constructing’s facade. No casualties have been reported.
The strike comes lower than a day after Russia and Ukraine’s prime diplomats accused one another of violating a tentative U.S.-brokered deal to pause strikes on power infrastructure, underscoring the challenges of negotiating an finish to the three-year-old warfare.
The 2 nations’ international ministers spoke at separate occasions on the annual Antalya Diplomacy Discussion board, a day after U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff met with Russian President Vladimir Putin to debate peace prospects.
U.S. President Donald Trump blamed Ukraine for not ending the warfare with Russia sooner by making a deal years in the past. The feedback have been a response to Ukraine’s considerations about being excluded from talks with Russia in Saudi Arabia.
“The Ukrainians have been attacking us from the very starting, each passing day, possibly with two or three exceptions,” Russian International Minister Sergey Lavrov stated, including that Moscow would offer the U.S., Turkey and worldwide our bodies with an inventory of Kyiv’s assaults in the course of the previous three weeks.
His Ukrainian counterpart, Andrii Sybiha, fiercely contested that declare, saying Saturday that Russia had launched “virtually 70 missiles, over 2,200 [exploding] drones, and over 6,000 guided aerial bombs at Ukraine, largely at civilians,” since agreeing to the restricted pause on strikes.
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