At least 31 people have been killed and dozens injured in a Russian ballistic missile strike in the Ukrainian city of Sumy as people were going to church for Palm Sunday.
Two missiles landed in the crowded city centre. One hit a trolley bus full of passengers. Footage from the scene showed bodies lying in the street, burning cars, and rescuers carrying bloodied survivors. Two of the dead were children.
“I managed to turn away just before the impact. Everything blew in: glass from the windows, doors. It was a very strong explosion,” one survivor – his head wrapped in a bandage – said.
Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, said there were “dozens of dead and wounded civilians”. He accused Russia of carrying out an act of deliberate “terror” and said a “tough reaction” was needed from the US, Europe and the rest of the world.
“Enemy missiles hit an ordinary city street, ordinary life: houses, educational institutions, cars on the street … And this on a day when people go to church: Palm Sunday, the feast of the lord’s entry into Jerusalem,” he posted on social media.
Zelenskyy added: “Only a scoundrel can act like this. Taking the lives of ordinary people. Russia wants exactly this kind of terror and is dragging out this war. Without pressure on the aggressor, peace is impossible.”
Officials said 83 people were injured, including 10 children.
Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff and Vladimir Putin held talks on Friday in the Russian city of St Petersburg. Ukraine has agreed to a White House plan for a 30-day pause in the fighting.
Since the US proposal a month ago, Russia has escalated its bombardment of Ukrainian cities. Nine children and nine adults were killed earlier this month when a Russian missile hit a children’s playground in the city of Kryvyi Rih.
Zelenskyy has been pressing allies to send another 10 Patriot air defence systems to protect Ukraine’s skies. In a briefing with journalists last week, he said the Trump administration had recently sent additional systems to Israel, as tensions with Iran grow.
“Talks have never stopped ballistic missiles and air bombs. We need the kind of attitude towards Russia that a terrorist deserves,” Zelenskyy said on Sunday. “Thank you to everyone who is with Ukraine and helps us protect life.”
Sumy is 15 miles (25km) from the border with Russia and is a Ukrainian military hub. The missiles landed in a downtown civilian area where many people carrying willow branches for Palm Sunday were on their way to church.
Video from a car dashcam shows a flash of orange as one of the missiles struck. Plumes of grey smoke can be seen, as other vehicles reverse away from the danger and passersby run in panic.
According to Sumy’s prosecutor, the missiles “completely destroyed” the city’s human rights centre and several other buildings.
