Russia Defends Deadly Palm Sunday Sumy Strike Amid Global Condemnation as War Crime
- Victor Nwoko
- 2 days ago
- 3 min read
Russia claimed responsibility Monday for a deadly missile strike on the Ukrainian city of Sumy, insisting the attack was aimed at Ukrainian military personnel, despite widespread international condemnation and mounting accusations of war crimes.
Ukrainian authorities reported that two ballistic missiles struck the heart of Sumy, a city located approximately 30 kilometers from the Russian border, during Palm Sunday morning. The attack killed at least 34 people, including two children, and injured 119 others. The strike was the second major assault on civilians in Ukraine in just over a week.
Russia’s Defense Ministry asserted that the strike targeted a meeting of senior Ukrainian military officers and alleged that Kyiv had used civilians as human shields by conducting military gatherings in civilian areas. The ministry claimed that more than 60 troops were killed in the strike, though it provided no supporting evidence. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov reinforced the narrative, stating that Russia’s military only engages legitimate military targets.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy condemned the strike, stating that one missile hit university buildings while the second exploded above the street, maximizing the impact. He urged the international community to respond with increased sanctions targeting sectors that fund Russia's military operations. “Only real pressure on Russia can stop this,” Zelenskyy wrote on social media.
European leaders swiftly condemned the attack. Polish Foreign Minister Radek Sikorski labeled it “Russia’s mocking answer” to Kyiv’s earlier agreement to a ceasefire proposed by the United States, adding that he hoped the U.S. administration would take appropriate action. Finnish Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen drew attention to the timing of the attack, which came shortly after U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff visited Russian President Vladimir Putin in Saint Petersburg. She said the strike highlighted Russia’s disregard for both peace efforts and human life.
Lithuania’s Foreign Minister Kestutis Budrys echoed Ukraine’s claim that cluster munitions were used in the attack, which he called “a war crime by definition.” The use of such munitions could not be independently verified.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot stated the strike confirmed Putin’s unwillingness to engage in ceasefire talks and advocated for tougher European Union sanctions to cripple the Russian economy and limit its capacity to wage war. The EU has already imposed 16 rounds of sanctions and is currently deliberating a 17th, though consensus is increasingly difficult due to the collateral impact on European economies.
Germany’s chancellor-designate, Friedrich Merz, described the Sumy attack as “a serious war crime” during a televised interview and reiterated his support for sending Taurus long-range cruise missiles to Ukraine. He emphasized the need for the Ukrainian military to stay ahead of the situation and noted that any missile transfers should be coordinated with European allies. The outgoing chancellor, Olaf Scholz, had previously declined to authorize such transfers.
Responding to Merz’s statement, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov warned that supplying long-range missiles would only escalate the conflict. He criticized European governments for allegedly avoiding efforts to pursue peace negotiations, saying they were instead fueling continued warfare.
The Sumy attack came just days after a similar missile strike on April 4 in President Zelenskyy’s hometown of Kryvyi Rih, which killed around 20 people, including nine children.
Former U.S. President Donald Trump, when asked about the Sumy strike late Sunday, described the war as a “horrible thing” and said he had been told the attack may have been a mistake, though he did not elaborate on the nature of that claim. He reiterated his desire to see the war brought to an end.
On the same night, Russia launched an explosive drone attack on Odesa, wounding eight people and damaging multiple structures, including a medical facility, according to regional authorities. Ukraine’s air force reported that Russia deployed 62 Shahed drones across Ukrainian territory overnight, with 40 shot down and 11 others electronically jammed.
In addition to the drone attacks, Russian forces have ramped up aerial assaults in April, reportedly deploying 2,800 air-dropped bombs, over 1,400 strike drones, and nearly 60 missiles of varying types.
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