Hobnob News – April 14, 2025
In one of the deadliest strikes in recent months, a Russian missile attack on the northeastern Ukrainian city of Sumy has left at least 34 people dead and 117 injured, including several children. Ukrainian officials confirmed that two ballistic missiles struck the city center early Sunday morning, causing widespread devastation.
The assault, which occurred on Palm Sunday, a major Christian observance, drew international condemnation. Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky described the strike as “deranged” and a barbaric act against civilians. “Only utterly depraved minds can carry out such horror on a holy day,” he stated in his evening address.
Emergency services reported that among the victims were two children, while 15 more suffered injuries. Rescuers sifted through rubble near a wrecked trolleybus, as bodies lay covered in silver sheets. Zelensky added that eight of the 68 hospitalized victims were in critical condition.
The missiles, identified as Iskander-M/KN-23 ballistic missiles, reportedly damaged a university, five apartment blocks, shops, cafes, and even the district court—totaling damage to at least 20 buildings.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed alarm, calling the attack part of a “disturbing pattern” of recent strikes on Ukrainian towns. On Air Force One, US President Donald Trump labeled the incident “a horrible thing,” while US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said it was a “tragic reminder” of the need to end the war through durable peace efforts.
President Zelensky invited President Trump to visit Ukraine and witness the destruction firsthand before engaging in any negotiation processes. “See the children, the hospitals, the graves,” Zelensky urged in a CBS interview.
The attack has sparked fresh diplomatic outrage:
French President Emmanuel Macron condemned it as proof of Russia’s “blatant disregard for human life.”
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer called the assault “appalling.”
German Chancellor-in-waiting Friedrich Merz described it as “a deliberate war crime.”
European Commission Chief Ursula von der Leyen called it “a barbaric attack, made more vile by its timing on Palm Sunday.”
Poland’s Prime Minister Donald Tusk denounced it as “Bloody Palm Sunday.”
The city of Sumy has declared three days of mourning. The strike follows a similar deadly attack in Kryvi Rig earlier this month, which killed 18 people, including nine children.
As the war rages into its third year, Russia continues its offensive in eastern Ukraine and recently claimed control of another village in Donetsk. Despite calls for a ceasefire, Moscow has rejected US-led proposals for unconditional peace talks.
