Ukraine's Largest Drone Strike Shakes Russia as Kyiv Seizes Territory
Ukraine's Largest Drone Strike Shakes Russia as Kyiv Seizes Territory (Photo: Saeima/Wikimedia Commons/CC-BY-SA 2.0 )

A Russian ballistic missile strike killed at least 34 people and injured 117 others, including 15 children, in Ukraine's northeastern city of Sumy on Sunday morning, according to Ukrainian emergency services. The attack, which took place as many residents observed Palm Sunday, struck the city center, damaging educational institutions, residential buildings, and public infrastructure.

Ukrainian officials said two Iskander-variant missiles hit the area near Sumy State University and its congress center around 10:15 a.m. local time. The State Emergency Service confirmed that two children were among the dead. Images from the aftermath showed shattered buildings, burning vehicles, and streets littered with debris and bodies.

"The enemy struck the civilian population again," acting Mayor Artem Kobzar wrote on Telegram. "On this bright day of Palm Sunday, our community suffered a terrible tragedy."

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the missiles carried cluster munitions, which disperse smaller sub-munitions across a wide area. "A cluster munition missile is something the Russians do to kill as many civilians as possible," Andriy Yermak, head of the presidential office, wrote on Telegram. Zelensky added in his video address, "Only completely deranged scum can do something like this."

 

The president said among the injured was an infant born earlier this year. Medics were doing "everything they can," he said. "The strike hit right in the heart of the city on Palm Sunday."

The missiles struck a busy district, home to university facilities, cafes, apartment buildings, and a popular congress center often used for children's educational events. According to BBC Ukrainian, residents called it "an educational hub for the entire city." Ten cars and trams were also destroyed in the attack.

Svitlana Smirnova, 51, told the BBC she had just left a nearby church with friends when she sought shelter from the blast. "A friend of mine was injured in a bus which was hit here," she said. "She is seriously injured, she is in the hospital, was operated on, she is still unconscious. She was riding with her son who was also injured."

Another woman, Nataliia, described fleeing with children just before a missile struck her car. "If we hadn't moved to the shelter on time, we would have been in the car and we would be dead," she said.

President Zelensky called for an international response. "A tough reaction from the world is needed," he wrote on Telegram. "The United States, Europe, everyone in the world who wants an end to this war and murders. Without pressure on the aggressor, peace is impossible."

Foreign leaders quickly condemned the attack. French President Emmanuel Macron posted on X, "Everyone knows: this war was initiated by Russia alone... with blatant disregard for human lives, international law, and the diplomatic efforts of President Trump." Macron said France was working "tirelessly" to secure a ceasefire.

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk described the bombardment as "The Russian version of a ceasefire." U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer labeled the incident "horrific" and called on Russia to accept an unconditional ceasefire. "President Zelensky has shown his commitment to peace. President Putin must now agree to a full and immediate ceasefire without conditions-as Ukraine has done," Starmer said.

Keith Kellogg, the U.S. special envoy to Ukraine, also weighed in. The strike "by Russian forces on civilian targets in Sumy crosses any line of decency. There are scores of civilian dead and wounded," Kellogg posted on X. "It is why President Trump is working hard to end this war."

The Kremlin has not publicly commented on the attack.

Sunday's strike came two days after a four-hour meeting in St. Petersburg between Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff. Kremlin spokesman Kirill Dmitriev called the session "productive" and said it addressed "aspects of a Ukrainian settlement."

The meeting was Witkoff's third with Putin this year, amid ongoing diplomatic efforts to broker a ceasefire. French and British leaders have reportedly been coordinating with U.S. officials on a "coalition of the willing" to enforce any future peace arrangement.