Palm Sunday Massacre: Russian Missiles Kill 34 In Deadliest Strike Of The Year

In a devastating escalation of the war in Ukraine, Russian ballistic missiles struck the northeastern city of Sumy on Palm Sunday, killing at least 34 people and injuring 117 others in what has become the deadliest single attack of 2025.

The missiles hit as residents gathered for Sunday church services in the heart of the city, turning a sacred day of worship into a scene of horror. Among the dead were two children, as well as prominent local figures, including Olena Kohut, a musician with the Sumy National Theatre’s orchestra, and Liudmyla Hordiienko, deputy head of the regional tax office.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky condemned the attack, stating the strikes were carried out using ballistic missiles and calling for a “strong response from the world.”

“Russia wants exactly this kind of terror and is prolonging the war,” he said. “Without pressure on the aggressor, peace is impossible. Talking has never stopped ballistic missiles and bombs. Russia must be treated like the terrorist it is.”

The strikes targeted a busy area of Sumy's city center, hitting while the streets were filled with worshippers and families. Volodymyr Artyukh, head of the regional military administration, described it as a “deliberate attempt to cause maximum civilian casualties.”

Footage from the aftermath shows scenes of devastation: buildings reduced to rubble, windows shattered, bodies lying under emergency blankets, and a destroyed trolleybus believed to have been carrying many of the victims.

Officials suspect that cluster munitions were used in the second missile, which exploded mid-air to inflict maximum damage across a wide area. These weapons, banned by many countries due to their indiscriminate nature, release multiple explosives across several football fields’ worth of space, making them especially deadly in populated areas.

“This was a deliberate attack on civilians,” said Andriy Yermak, head of Zelensky’s office. “This is what Russia does—fires cluster bombs to kill as many innocent people as possible.”

The attack has drawn swift condemnation from around the world. Keith Kellogg, a former U.S. military general and special envoy to Ukraine and Russia under the Trump administration, called the strike “beyond any line of decency.”

“As a former military leader, I understand targeting—and this was wrong. That’s why President Trump is pushing hard to end this war,” Kellogg said.

European leaders echoed the outrage. EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas called it a “horrific example” of escalating violence. French President Emmanuel Macron urged for "strong measures" to enforce a ceasefire.

Zelensky pointed out that Ukraine had agreed to a U.S.-proposed 30-day unconditional ceasefire back in March, which Russia has continued to ignore.

“It’s been two months since Putin rejected the ceasefire. This attack is just the latest proof of his intent,” Zelensky said.

Meanwhile, President Trump expressed cautious optimism following a reported four-hour meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Trump official Steve Witkoff. “I think Ukraine-Russia might be going OK,” Trump said. “We’ll see what happens, but I think it’s going fine.”

The UN’s Humanitarian Coordinator for Ukraine, Matthias Schmale, condemned the Sumy strike “in the strongest possible terms,” noting that attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure are explicitly forbidden under international humanitarian law.

In recent weeks, Russia has stepped up missile and air strikes on the Sumy region, seeking to push Ukrainian forces further from the border with Russia’s Kursk region. Russian forces have reportedly taken control of several small settlements just inside Ukraine’s borders.

Elsewhere in Ukraine, Russian attacks over the past 24 hours killed eight more people and injured at least 18 in the Donetsk, Kharkiv, and Kherson regions.