At least 21 people were killed and 83 injured in a devastating Russian ballistic missile strike on the northern Ukrainian city of Sumy on Sunday morning, according to Ukraine's Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko. The attack, one of the deadliest of the year, has drawn sharp condemnation from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, who urged the international community to respond forcefully to what he labeled as terrorism.

“Only scoundrels act like this—taking the lives of ordinary people,” Zelenskiy wrote on social media, posting video footage that showed burned vehicles, charred bodies, and widespread destruction in a bustling city street. He emphasized the symbolic weight of the attack occurring on Palm Sunday, a sacred Christian holiday, calling it a deliberate assault on civilians during a religious feast.

Interior Minister Klymenko said victims included people on the street, inside vehicles and public transport, and within residential and commercial buildings. “This is deliberate destruction of civilians on a holy day,” he stated.

U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff had recently met Russian President Vladimir Putin in St. Petersburg to discuss a potential peace deal, an effort shadowed by Sunday’s bloodshed. Ukrainian official Andriy Kovalenko implied that Russia is using such diplomacy as a smokescreen for continued attacks on civilians.

In response, Zelenskiy renewed his appeal to Western allies, insisting that pressure—not dialogue—is needed to stop the violence. “Without pressure on the aggressor, peace is impossible. Talks have never stopped ballistic missiles or bombs,” he said.

Russia has yet to comment on the strike. Meanwhile, Moscow has accused Kyiv of breaching a U.S.-brokered pause on targeting energy infrastructure—an agreement both nations now appear to be disregarding as strikes continue.

Russia’s invasion, now in its third year, has left Ukraine battered and increasingly reliant on foreign support amid growing war fatigue in the West.

At least 21 people were killed and 83 injured in a devastating Russian ballistic missile strike on the northern Ukrainian city of Sumy on Sunday morning, according to Ukraine's Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko. The attack, one of the deadliest of the year, has drawn sharp condemnation from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, who urged the international community to respond forcefully to what he labeled as terrorism.

“Only scoundrels act like this—taking the lives of ordinary people,” Zelenskiy wrote on social media, posting video footage that showed burned vehicles, charred bodies, and widespread destruction in a bustling city street. He emphasized the symbolic weight of the attack occurring on Palm Sunday, a sacred Christian holiday, calling it a deliberate assault on civilians during a religious feast.

Interior Minister Klymenko said victims included people on the street, inside vehicles and public transport, and within residential and commercial buildings. “This is deliberate destruction of civilians on a holy day,” he stated.

U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff had recently met Russian President Vladimir Putin in St. Petersburg to discuss a potential peace deal, an effort shadowed by Sunday’s bloodshed. Ukrainian official Andriy Kovalenko implied that Russia is using such diplomacy as a smokescreen for continued attacks on civilians.

In response, Zelenskiy renewed his appeal to Western allies, insisting that pressure—not dialogue—is needed to stop the violence. “Without pressure on the aggressor, peace is impossible. Talks have never stopped ballistic missiles or bombs,” he said.

Russia has yet to comment on the strike. Meanwhile, Moscow has accused Kyiv of breaching a U.S.-brokered pause on targeting energy infrastructure—an agreement both nations now appear to be disregarding as strikes continue.

Russia’s invasion, now in its third year, has left Ukraine battered and increasingly reliant on foreign support amid growing war fatigue in the West.