Russian missile strikes on Ukrainian city of Sumy kill at least 34 people

A Russian air assault against a northeastern Ukrainian city this past weekend has taken dozens of lives and injured over a hundred others.

Byeon Ye-young covers this latest attack.

Rubble and bodies were left among the ashes and smoke after two Russian ballistic missiles struck the northeastern Ukrainian city of Sumy on Sunday.

The attack killed 34 people, including two children, and left 117 injured in one of the deadliest attacks in the conflict of the year.

Sumy, located just over 25 kilometers from the Russian border, has endured a wave of missile strikes in recent weeks.

The missiles hit the city center just after 10 a.m. local time on Palm Sunday, as residents were attending church services --one of the busiest religious days of the year, according to Ukraine's economy minister.

"There is no military base. No military people. Center of the city. What could there be possibly? There is no air defense here, there is nothing here. They're just erasing the nation. This is genocide. How can you call it any different?"

The attack came despite a U.S.-brokered agreement between Russia and Ukraine last month to halt strikes on each other's energy infrastructure.

On Sunday, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy strongly condemned the latest attack, stating that only "filthy scum" were capable of such actions, and urged the international community to respond with action.

"Only pressure, only decisive action, can change this. Every Russian ballistic missile, every cruise missile, every Russian Shahed, every guided bomb, strike not only our people, not only our communities, but also diplomacy, and the political efforts of everyone who is truly trying to bring this to an end."

Reactions quickly poured in from global leaders.

Keith Kellogg, Donald Trump's envoy for Ukraine, wrote on X that the missile strike "crosses any line of decency," and reiterated that the U.S. president was working hard to end the war.

European leaders, including French President Emmanuel Macron and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, took to social media to express support for Ukraine, condemn Russia's actions, and call for a full ceasefire.

Byeon Ye-young,

Arirang news.