Russia massacres civilians in the Ukrainian city of Sumi

BarcelonaRussia bombed the center of the Ukrainian city of Sumi on Palm Sunday, in the worst attack against civilians in 2025. According to emergency services, at least 34 people died and 117 were injured. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky lamented that the attack targeted civilians on "a normal city street" while people were going about their "normal lives" at home, in schools, and on the street: "Only a wretch is capable of acting like this and killing ordinary people," he said, stressing that Sunday is...

One of the two projectiles that fell in the city center hit a bus full of passengers. Images shared on social media show the bodies of civilians splayed in the middle of the street and inside burned vehicles, and buildings on fire as a result of the bombing.

The Ukrainian leader has invited US President Donald Trump to visit the country before to agree to any pact with Russia to end the war"Please, before making any decisions or conducting any negotiations, come and see the people, civilians, combatants, hospitals, churches, wounded or dead children," Zelensky said in an interview with the program 60 minutes from CBS, recorded before the massacre.

Trump, who has established himself as a negotiating figure between Kiev and Moscow, called the Russian attack a "mistake" by Putin. "I've been told they made a mistake," he said without elaborating. "But I think it's a horrible thing."

The Ukrainian president also called on the international community to react: he asked for a "strong response from the world" and stressed that peace will be impossible without pressure on Russia. "Talks have never stopped ballistic missiles and bombs," he lamented.

One of the first to react to Zelensky's call was French President Emmanuel Macron, who believes that Russia's attack highlights "the urgent need to impose a ceasefire in Russia." The head of the Élysée Palace accused Moscow of being the only party that wants this war and of showing this by "disregarding human lives, international law, and President Trump's diplomatic offers."

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer also expressed his "horror at Russia's horrific attacks against civilians in Sumi" and demanded that Putin agree now to "a full and immediate ceasefire without conditions." Along the same lines, European Foreign Minister Kaja Kallas said the attack on Sumi confirms that Putin "really wants war" and, therefore, called on member states at the EU Foreign Affairs Council on Monday to continue increasing pressure on Moscow to end the invasion.

For Poland, which has been a pillar of Ukraine since the beginning of the invasion, the attack confirms that Russian President Vladimir Putin is "mocking the goodwill" of the Trump administration. Meanwhile, for the future German chancellor, Friedrich Merz, it is clearly a "war crime."

War Crimes

According to Ukrainian authorities, the missiles used contained scattershot munitions, a technology banned due to the catastrophic effects they can have when they explode and scatter into thousands of fragments. For this reason, Andriy Yermak, Zelensky's chief of staff, has blamed Russia for wanting to "kill as many civilians as possible."

In this regard, Kiev is considering taking the attack to the International Criminal Court, which Ukraine joined this year and is already investigating massacres or violations of humanitarian law that have occurred during the war, such as the Butxa massacre. According to Foreign Minister Andriy Sibiha, the Ukrainian government "is sharing detailed information about this war crime" with its partners and international institutions.

"Only Russia wants to continue the war"

The attack comes shortly after Washington's special envoy, Steve Witkoff, will visit Russian President Vladimir Putin this Friday in St. Petersburg. to discuss the possible terms of the agreement. Although Moscow and Kiev had in theory agreed to a truce on energy infrastructure with Washington, both sides have breached the pact in recent weeks. Russian special envoy Kiril Dmitriev described the meeting between Witkoff and Putin as "productive," but after the meeting the White House called on the Kremlin to "change" its position: "Russia must move. Too many people are dying, thousands every week, in a terrible and senseless war," he wrote.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has used the attack to boast about his government's actions and said that the Sumi massacre is a "tragic reminder of why President Trump and his administration are devoting so much time and effort to trying to end this war and achieve a lasting peace."

But Russia seems interested in postponing the agreement. And it shows no signs of slowing down its offensive, as seen with this latest attack on civilians. Russian forces control about 20% of Ukraine's territory in the east and south, and in recent weeks have made significant progress in the Sumi region., where they have taken control of several municipalities. In fact, Sunday's bombing of civilians could be a way to pave the way for a possible ground incursion into the city. Although Russian President Vladimir Putin probably does not intend to annex the Sumi region—as he has done with the Ukrainian regions of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhia—it could be a useful territory to use as a bargaining chip in future negotiations, and a means of punishing the enemy in August.