KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russian missiles struck the guts of the Ukrainian metropolis of Sumy as folks gathered to rejoice Palm Sunday, killing a minimum of 34 folks, officers mentioned, within the second large-scale assault to say civilian lives in simply over every week.
The 2 ballistic missiles hit round 10:15 a.m., officers mentioned. Pictures from the scene confirmed traces of black physique baggage on the facet of the street, whereas extra our bodies have been seen wrapped in foil blankets among the many particles. Video footage additionally confirmed hearth crews preventing to extinguish the shells of burned-out automobiles among the many rubble from broken buildings.
The useless included two kids, the State Emergency Service of Ukraine mentioned in a press release. An additional 117 folks have been wounded, together with 15 kids, it mentioned.
“Only filthy scum can act like this — taking the lives of ordinary people,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy mentioned.
The top of the Ukrainian president’s workplace, Andriy Yermak, mentioned the strike additionally used cluster munitions in an try and kill as many individuals as potential. The Related Press was unable to confirm the declare.
The assault on Sumy adopted a lethal missile strike on Zelenskyy’s hometown of Kryvyi Rih on April 4 that killed some 20 folks, together with 9 kids.
Zelenskyy referred to as for a worldwide response to the assault. “Talks have never stopped ballistic missiles and aerial bombs. What’s needed is an attitude toward Russia that a terrorist deserves,” he mentioned.
Different world leaders additionally condemned the assault, with French President Emmanuel Macron saying that it undermined Washington-led peace talks between the 2 sides.
“Everyone knows: This war was initiated by Russia alone. And today, it is clear that Russia alone chooses to continue it — with blatant disregard for human lives, international law and the diplomatic efforts of President Trump,” he wrote in a press release.
Elsewhere in Ukraine, a 62-year-old girl and a 48-year-old man have been killed in Russian assaults on the Kherson area, native Gov. Oleksandr Prokudin mentioned Sunday. One other particular person was killed throughout Russian shelling on Ukraine’s Donetsk area, Gov. Vadym Filashkin mentioned.
The mayor of the Ukrainian metropolis of Kharkiv, Ihor Terekhov, mentioned a Russian strike had hit one of many metropolis’s kindergartens, shattering home windows and damaging the constructing’s facade. No casualties have been reported.
Spring offensive fears regardless of peace talks
The strikes come a day after Russia and Ukraine’s senior diplomats accused one another of violating a tentative U.S.-brokered deal to pause strikes on power infrastructure, underscoring the challenges of negotiating an finish to the three-year conflict.
The 2 nations’ overseas ministers spoke at separate occasions on the annual Antalya Diplomacy Discussion board quickly after U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff met with Russian President Vladimir Putin to debate peace prospects.
“The Ukrainians have been attacking us from the very beginning, every passing day, maybe with two or three exceptions,” Russian International Minister Sergey Lavrov mentioned, including that Moscow would supply the U.S., Turkey and worldwide our bodies with an inventory of Kyiv’s assaults in the course of the previous three weeks.
His Ukrainian counterpart, Andrii Sybiha, contested that declare, saying Saturday that Russia had launched virtually 70 missiles, over 2,200 exploding drones and greater than 6,000 guided aerial bombs at Ukraine, “mostly at civilians” since agreeing to the restricted pause on strikes.
Russian forces maintain the benefit in Ukraine, and Kyiv has warned that Moscow is planning a contemporary spring offensive to ramp up stress on its foe and enhance its negotiating place.
Ukraine has endorsed a broader U.S. ceasefire proposal, however Russia has successfully blocked it by imposing far-reaching situations. European governments have accused Putin of dragging his toes.
Retired Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg, Trump’s particular envoy to Ukraine and Russia, mentioned the Sumy assault crossed “any line of decency” and that the White Home remained dedicated to ending the battle.
“There are scores of civilian dead and wounded. As a former military leader, I understand targeting, and this is wrong. It is why President Trump is working hard to end this war,” he mentioned.
Observe AP’s protection of the conflict in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine
