A pair of Russian ballistic missiles struck the northern Ukrainian city of Sumy on Sunday, leaving 32 civilians dead and over 80 injured in what Ukrainian officials are calling the deadliest single attack of the year. The devastation prompted President Volodymyr Zelensky to call for a forceful global reaction against Moscow.

The strikes hit at the heart of the city, just 25 kilometers from the Russian border, turning a busy street into a scene of horror—charred vehicles, a shattered bus, and lifeless bodies scattered on the pavement, as shown in grim footage shared by Zelensky on social media.

“This is the work of cowards—targeting innocent people,” Zelensky said, emphasizing the symbolic cruelty of the attack, which occurred on Palm Sunday, as some were heading to church.
The Kremlin has yet to respond to inquiries from Reuters regarding the incident.

This latest tragedy follows a similarly brutal missile assault earlier this month on Kryvyi Rih, Zelensky's hometown, where 20 people—including nine children—were killed, far from the front lines in Ukraine's east and south.

Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko stated that the victims were either walking along the street, traveling by car or bus, or inside buildings when the missiles struck. “This was intentional mass murder on a sacred day,” he said.

Andriy Yermak, Zelensky’s chief of staff, reported that the missiles were armed with cluster munitions, accusing Russia of aiming to maximize civilian casualties. Meanwhile, lawmaker Maryana Bezuhla hinted on Telegram that the attack may have been enabled by a security breach, possibly linked to a leaked location of Ukrainian soldiers.

Sumy, home to around 250,000 residents, has served as a military stronghold since Ukrainian forces pushed briefly into Russian territory last August—a move that has since been mostly rolled back.