Kyiv Reports 34 Dead in Russian Missile Strike on Ukraine’s Sumy City

According to Ukrainian officials, a Russian missile attack on April 13 in Ukraine’s northeastern city of Sumy resulted in the deaths of thirty-four people and injuries to numerous others.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine condemned the attack, calling those responsible ‘only scoundrels’ for taking the lives of innocent civilians.

He urged a strong response to the attack, which occurred amidst U.S. attempts to secure a limited cease-fire between Russia and Ukraine.

Artem Kobzar, acting mayor of Sumy, announced three days of mourning for the victims of the attack, which coincided with Palm Sunday.

Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko denounced the attack as a deliberate targeting of civilians on an important religious holiday, stating that victims were on the streets, in cars, and on public transport when Russian ballistic missiles hit the city center.

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Andriy Yermak, Zelenskyy’s chief of staff, alleged that the missiles used in the attack contained cluster munitions.

“The Russians are intentionally doing this to maximize civilian casualties,” he stated.

Reports indicate that 34 people lost their lives and over 100 others were injured in what is deemed as the most significant single Russian assault on Ukraine this year.

“This was a legitimate military target that was successfully eliminated using an Iskander-M ballistic missile system, according to war norms and rules,” Korotchenko explained to the news agency.

The accuracy of the Russian claims could not be confirmed independently by The Epoch Times.

Situated near the Russian border, Sumy is located in the Ukrainian region of the same name. Last summer, Kyiv utilized the city as a base for a surprise incursion into Russia’s western Kursk region.

‘Horrible Thing’

The leaders of Britain, Germany, and Italy all denounced the reported attack, with Germany’s chancellor-in-waiting Friedrich Merz labeling it a ‘war crime’.

“There is no greater example of treachery: a targeted and premeditated war crime,” he stated in an interview with Germany’s ARD broadcaster.

Expected to soon become chancellor, Merz additionally expressed support for supplying Ukraine with German long-range Taurus missiles to bolster its defense capabilities.

Germany’s outgoing chancellor, Olaf Scholz, pointed out that the attack indicated the response of Russian President Vladimir Putin to cease-fire offers.

“These attacks reveal the true worth of Russia’s professed commitment to peace,” he posted on social media.

President Donald Trump of the United States described the reported attack on Sumy as a ‘horrible thing’.

He mentioned, without specifics, “I was informed [the Russians] made a mistake.”

In previous negotiations with Russian and Ukrainian officials, U.S. mediators arranged a temporary truce aimed at ending hostilities in the Black Sea.

As part of these talks, Moscow and Kyiv both agreed to a 30-day moratorium on attacks on each other’s energy infrastructure.

However, accusations from both sides of breaches of the truce have raised doubts about the effectiveness of U.S. peace efforts.

Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski, on April 14, spoke about the reported Russian attack on Sumy, stating his hope that the United States recognized that Putin was ‘mocking their goodwill.’

“Over a month ago, Ukraine unconditionally accepted a cease-fire,” said Sikorski upon arriving in Luxembourg for a meeting of EU foreign ministers.

He added, “Russia’s recent attacks on Kryvyi Rih [on April 4] and on Sumy show their disdain for peace efforts.”

Sikorski expressed confidence that the United States would make ‘the correct decisions’ in response to the reported missile strikes.

Reuters contributed to this report.