Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Sunday issued a strongly worded condemnation of the deadly Russian missile strike on the city of Sumy.
Two Russian missiles struck the heart of Sumy as people gathered to celebrate Palm Sunday, killing at least 34 people, the second large-scale attack to claim civilian lives in just over a week.
“Only filthy scum can act like this," Zelenskyy said, adding that the first strike hit buildings belonging to a city university, while the second exploded above street level.
He also called for a global response to the attack, saying "only pressure, only decisive action' would stop attack like Sunday's strike from undermining efforts to bring an end to the war.
The attack on Sumy followed a deadly April 4 missile strike on Zelenskyy’s hometown of Kryvyi Rih that killed some 20 people, including nine children.
It also came a day after Russia and Ukraine’s diplomats accused each other of violating a tentative U.S.-brokered deal to pause strikes on energy infrastructure, underscoring the challenges of negotiating an end to the three-year war.
(AP)