Russia killed at least 32 people, including two children, in Ukraine on after launching ballistic missiles on civilians attending Palm Sunday services — in what authorities say was the deadliest attack on civilians so far this year.
The missile strikes targeted the

 northeastern city of Sumy around 10 a.m. local time while Ukrainians were marking Palm Sunday and attending church. They also took place less than 48 hours after President Trump’s special envoy Steve Witfkoff met with Russian dictator Vladimir Putin.

An estimated 84 people, including 10 children, were injured in the deadly strike, per the State Emergency Service of Ukraine. That makes it one of the deadliest Russian attacks against civilians in Ukraine since 2023. 

“Only filthy scum can act like this – taking the lives of ordinary people. My condolences to the families and loved ones. A rescue operation is underway. All necessary services are working at the scene,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a statement, calling for a firm response from the world.

“Russia wants exactly this kind of terror and is dragging this war out. Without pressure on Russia, peace is impossible.”

The barbaric Russian attack also comes a month after Ukraine agreed to President Trump’s push for full cease-fire to allow negotiations for the war’s end to take place. Russia rejected that plan and agreed to a limited 30-day cease-fire against strikes on its neighbor’s energy infrastructure. 
Trump and his team have been trying to get Moscow to agree to a full-fledged cease-fire but have been unsuccessful so far. 

“I think Ukraine-Russia might be going OK. And you’re going to be finding out pretty soon,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One Saturday before the attack. 

“There’s a point at which you have to either put up or shut up. We’ll see what happens, but I think it’s going fine.”

Witfkoff met with Putin on Friday in St. Petersburg for more than four hours while attempting to hash out the contours of a potential settlement, according to a readout from both sides. 

That marks Witkoff’s third meeting with Putin.The Kremlin wants full control of the Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk and Zaporizhzhia oblasts in eastern Ukraine. So far, Russia controls a majority of the land in those regions, but not all of it.

Separately, the Russians have carried out attacks over the past 24 hours in Donetsk, Kharkiv and Kherson that have killed at least eight people and wounded 18, according to Ukrainian officials. 

“Launching such an attack on a major Christian holiday is absolute evil,” Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said of the Sunday strike in Sumy.  “We are sharing detailed information about this war crime with all of our partners and international institutions. We urge all capitals and headquarters to react strongly.”

Sumy is located not far from Kursk, the Russian city that Ukraine took over in August of last year, which Moscow has since largely recovered. Over recent weeks, the Russians have ramped up attacks against Sumy.The Palm Sunday attack against Sumy also comes after a Russian strike last week that killed 20 in Kryvyi Rih.

Russia has roughly 20% of Ukraine’s territory in its possession.

With Post wires.