Update: At least 35 people were killed in the attack, including two children, and at least 119 were injured, including 15 children, according to the Ukrainian authorities.
Russian forces launched two missile strikes on the Ukrainian city of Sumy on Sunday, local authorities reported. According to the latest figures from Ukraine’s Interior Ministry, at least 21 people were killed in the attack. At least 83 others were injured, including seven children.
The full extent of the damage is still being assessed. The Sumy Regional Military Administration published photos and videos from the city center that shows at least one building damaged by the attack and multiple burnt-out cars.
Videos shared by officials and Ukrainian Telegram channels also show a large fire in the middle of the street. Clips circulating on social media appear to show a trolley car badly damaged by the strike.
“People were injured right in the middle of the street, in cars, on public transport, and in their homes. Police have restricted access to the impact zone,” said Ukrainian Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko.
“A horrific strike by Russian ballistic missiles on Sumy. Enemy missiles hit an ordinary city street, everyday life — homes, schools, cars on the road… And this on a day when people were heading to church: Palm Sunday, the Feast of the Lord’s Entry into Jerusalem,” said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, commenting on the attack. “According to preliminary reports, dozens of civilians have been killed or injured. Only scum could do something like this — take away the lives of ordinary people.”
Zelensky called on the United States, Europe, and other countries around the world to respond firmly to the strike. “This is the kind of terror Russia wants — it’s dragging out this war. Without pressure on the aggressor, peace is impossible. Talk alone has never stopped ballistic missiles or airstrikes. The world must treat Russia as the terrorist it is,” he said.