Russian forces launched a missile attack on the northeastern Ukrainian city of Sumy on 13 April, killing 34 people, including two children, and wounding 117 others.
Sumy, located in northeastern Ukraine near the Russian border, has faced periodic attacks since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022.
The attack comes as the US under Trump’s administration attempts to mediate peace between Ukraine and Russia ahead of Easter on 20 April.
On 11 April, Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, met with Russian President Vladimir Putin for over four hours, suggesting that supporting Russia’s claim to four eastern Ukrainian oblasts would be the quickest way to secure a ceasefire. Witkoff’s stance, which echoes Russian propaganda, sparked controversy and concerns among US Republicans while European allies gathered to pledge continued support for Ukraine.
The Sumy Regional Military Administration reported that two ballistic missiles with cluster munitions struck civilian infrastructure in the city. The attack occurred on Palm Sunday, when many residents were out in churches and public spaces.
“Enemy missiles hit an ordinary city street, ordinary life: homes, educational institutions, cars on the street… And this on a day when people go to churches: Palm Sunday, the feast of the Lord’s Entry into Jerusalem,” wrote Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Zelenskyy called for a strong international response to the attack, arguing that diplomatic talks alone have proven insufficient to prevent such strikes.
“Russia wants exactly this kind of terror and is dragging out this war,” Zelenskyy stated, emphasizing that “without pressure on the aggressor, peace is impossible.”
Ukraine’s Minister of Internal Affairs Igor Klymenko confirmed the casualty figures, which include 15 children among the 117 wounded. Emergency services are continuing rescue operations at the site.
The regional Human Rights Protection Center was also damaged in the attack, according to Dmytro Lubinets, the Ukrainian Commissioner for Human Rights.
“This is a deliberate destruction of the civilian population — on a weekend, when people go out on the street, when they are least protected,” Lubinets wrote.
The Sumy Regional Prosecutor’s Office initiated a pre-trial investigation into the incident as a war crime under Ukraine’s Criminal Code.
This article has been updated: the earlier death toll of Russia’s ballistic attack on Sumy was 24, and the number of injured was 83. It rose to 34 killed and 117 injured.
