Russia launched a devastating attack on Ukraine on Palm Sunday.

This Sunday, the city of Sumy, in northeastern Ukraine, was the scene of the deadliest and most massive attack of the year to date, following the impact of Russian ballistic missiles that caused at least 32 dead and 84 injured.

The bombing occurred in the city center, coinciding with Palm Sunday celebrations, one of the busiest days on the Christian calendar, when many citizens were attending religious services.

According to local authorities, one of the missiles directly hit a trolleybus full of passengers, while the other struck a densely populated residential area.

Videos shared by Ukraine's Interior Minister, Ihor Klymenko, show devastating scenes: destroyed buildings, burning cars, shattered windows, and bodies covered with emergency blankets. Rescue teams were working among the rubble to evacuate the injured and extinguish fires.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky condemned the attack, calling it a deliberate act of terror. In a message posted on social media, he noted that the missiles hit civilian areas, including homes, educational institutions, and vehicles on the street, at a time when entire families were heading to church with olive branches, a traditional symbol of Palm Sunday.

"Only a scoundrel can act like this. Russia seeks precisely this kind of terror," the president stated, reiterating that without international pressure, there will be no peace.

Zelensky called for a "strong reaction" from the world and reiterated his request to international allies to provide at least 10 additional Patriot air defense systems, noting that while Russia increases attacks on Ukraine, the systems recently sent by the United States have been allocated to Israel, in the context of tensions with Iran.

Ukraine's Foreign Minister, Andrii Sybiha, also called the attack an act of "absolute evil" and urged allies for more military support and diplomatic pressure on Moscow. In his statement, he asserted that "force is the only language they understand and the only way to end this terror."

The city of Sumy, located just 25 kilometers from the Russian border, has been the target of frequent attacks in recent weeks, as Russian forces increase their presence in the region and have taken small localities in the area. Meanwhile, other attacks in the regions of Donetsk, Kharkiv, and Kherson have caused at least eight dead and 18 injured in the last 24 hours.

The international community has reacted strongly. The UN humanitarian coordinator for Ukraine, Matthias Schmale, condemned the bombing "in the strongest terms," reminding that international law expressly prohibits attacks on civilians and civilian structures.

The European Union's foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, called the attack a "horrible example of Russian escalation," especially concerning given that Ukraine had recently accepted a ceasefire proposed by the United States. French President Emmanuel Macron also called for "firm measures" to impose an effective truce.

Despite the agreement for a 30-day pause in fighting, negotiated by the United States and accepted by Ukraine, Russia has intensified its offensive, with attacks like the one days ago in Kryvyi Rih, which left 20 dead, including nine children, after a missile hit a playground.

Amid this escalation, it was revealed that Steve Witkoff, special envoy of former President Donald Trump, recently met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in St. Petersburg, although details about the content of their conversations have not been disclosed.