Ukrainian officials said on Sunday that two ballistic missiles fired by Russia hit the center of the northern city of Sumy, killing 34 people and injuring 117. This is the deadliest attack Ukraine has suffered this year.

In a video posted by Ukrainian President Zelenskyy on social media, bodies were scattered around a destroyed bus and burned cars on a city street.

Zelenskyy pointed out that the attack occurred on Palm Sunday in Orthodox Christianity, when some people were heading to church. Leaders from the UK, Germany, and Italy have condemned the attack.

Earlier this month, a missile strike hit the central Ukrainian city of Kryvyi Rih, which is President Zelenskyy's hometown and far from the eastern and southern battlefronts. The attack killed 20 people, including nine children.

The population of Sumy is about 250,000, located only 25 kilometers from the Russian border. Last August, after Kyiv forces invaded Russian territory, Sumy became a garrison city. Currently, the Kyiv forces in Russia have been largely repelled.

Acting Mayor of Sumy, Artem Kobzar, announced three days of mourning for the victims starting Monday.

Ukrainian Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said that those trapped were on the streets or in cars, public transportation, and buildings when the missile strikes occurred on Sunday.

"This is the deliberate killing of civilians on an important religious holiday," he wrote.

Andriy Yermak, Chief of Staff of Zelenskyy, stated that these missiles contained cluster munitions. "The Russians are doing this to kill as many civilians as possible," he said.

Marianna Bezuhla, a outspoken Ukrainian MP known for openly criticizing military commanders, said on the Telegram app that the attack happened due to leaked information about troop gatherings. However, she provided no evidence to support her claim.

Local resident Pavlo Mazurov told Reuters he had not seen soldiers in the area. "We live in the city center, there are no military bases here, and no soldiers," he said.

Andriy Kovalenko, head of Ukraine's anti-disinformation center, noted that the attack occurred after US envoy Steve Witkowski visited Russia and met with senior officials including President Putin.

"Russia is conducting all these so-called diplomatic activities around civilian attacks," he wrote on Telegram.

Under the Trump administration, US officials held multiple rounds of talks with the Kremlin and Kiev officials in an attempt to push for a ceasefire in the Ukraine-Russia war.

Last month, Ukraine and Russia agreed to suspend attacks on each other's energy facilities, but both sides have repeatedly accused each other of violating the suspension agreement.

The Russian Defense Ministry accused Ukraine on Saturday of launching five attacks on Russian energy infrastructure the previous day, stating that Ukraine violated the US-brokered agreement to suspend such attacks.

Trump envoy Witkowski held talks with Putin in St. Petersburg on Friday to discuss reaching a peace agreement on the Ukraine issue. Trump urged Russia to "take action."

After the Sumy attack on Sunday, Zelenskyy called on the United States and Europe to strongly respond to what he described as Russian terrorism.

"What Russia wants is exactly this kind of terror, and it is prolonging this war. Peace cannot be achieved without pressure on the aggressor. Negotiations have never stopped ballistic missiles and air raids," he wrote.

Original source: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7493040010778706495/

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