Two Russian missiles loaded with cluster bombs hit the city centre of Sumy this morning – on Palm Sunday, when Ukrainians traditionally go to church ahead of Easter. At least 32 people were killed, including two children. More than 80 were injured. The deadliest hit was on a trolleybus, pictured above. After the strike, a Russian military blogger calling himself ‘Terem’ posted this: ‘My opinion as a good Christian – the Russians must destroy these people. They are preventing us from building the Third Rome… they must pay with their blood. The end justifies the means.’
The attack on Sumy comes just a week after another Russian Iskander missile, also filled with cluster bombs, struck a playground in Kryvyi Rih – Volodymy Zelensky’s hometown. It sliced through metal swings, shattered windows and tore through bodies. Twenty people died in total, including nine children. The youngest victim was three years old. Ukraine declared a day of national mourning while Russia’s Ministry of Defence claimed, in typical fashion, that it was a ‘successful’ strike on a gathering of Ukrainian and foreign military personnel.
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