UN denounces deadly Palm Sunday attack in Ukraine's Sumy

The two missiles struck a busy street in the city centre, damaging residential buildings, an educational facility and civilian vehicles, as people were out celebrating Palm Sunday, a major religious holiday in Ukraine.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres was deeply alarmed and shocked to learn of the attack his spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said in a statement.

Devastating pattern of assaults

“The attack, on Palm Sunday and at the start of Holy Week, continues a devastating pattern of similar assaults on Ukrainian cities and towns in recent weeks, resulting in civilian casualties and large-scale destruction,” he said.

The Secretary-General underlined that attacks against civilians and civilian objects are prohibited under international humanitarian law and must end immediately.

Guterres renewed his call for a durable ceasefire in Ukraine.

He also reiterated the UN’s support to meaningful efforts towards a just, lasting and comprehensive peace that fully upholds the country’s sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity, in line with the UN Charter, international law, and relevant UN resolutions.

Senior aid official ‘utterly appalled’

The UN Humanitarian Coordinator for Ukraine, Matthias Schmale, was “utterly appalled” by the Russian missile strike on the heart of Sumy city, which is located in northeastern Ukraine.

“Palm Sunday is meant to be a day of peace and reflection. Instead, people in Sumy in northeastern Ukraine have been subjected to violence, terror, and loss,” he said.

The missile hit a busy street in the city centre, damaging residential buildings, an educational facility, and civilian vehicles — including a public bus.

“On behalf of the humanitarian community and the United Nations country team, I condemn this attack in the strongest possible terms and express my deeply felt condolences with the families whose lives have been torn apart,” said Mr. Schmale.

He recalled that international humanitarian law strictly prohibits attacks against civilians and civilian infrastructure, stressing that “those rules exist to protect human life and dignity — and they must be respected at all times.”