A devastating Russian guided aerial bomb strike tore through the center of Sumy on Friday, killing at least four people, including a child, and injuring dozens of others, Ukrainian officials reported.
The attack came amid a relentless, multi-pronged aerial campaign by Moscow that simultaneously battered cities across Ukraine’s south and east.
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“Efforts to deal with the aftermath of the Russian airstrike are ongoing in Sumy,” President Volodymyr Zelensky wrote in a post on X. “The Russians used guided aerial bombs against ordinary people in the city center.”
Zelensky confirmed that multiple children were among the wounded and warned that civilians could still be trapped beneath the ruins of a heavily damaged apartment building. He added that many of those hospitalized sustained severe injuries.
According to local authorities, Russian forces launched the assault using six guided aerial bombs, known as KABs. The epicenter of the blast hit a busy residential area, damaging high-rise apartment blocks, vehicles and shops where civilians were present.
Sumy Regional Governor Oleh Hryhorov confirmed the toll, saying first responders were continuing to work through the rubble.
Widespread multi-regional onslaught
The lethal bombardment of Sumy coincided with a day of widespread Russian attacks across Ukraine.
In Zaporizhzhia, intense air assaults throughout Friday targeted civilian infrastructure and residential areas, killing two people and injuring 21 others, including two children. Three of the wounded were reported to be in serious condition.
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In Kharkiv, a Russian first-person view drone attack struck a civilian area, leaving multiple people wounded.
Communities across the Kharkiv, Dnipro and Donetsk regions also came under attack, facing tactical drone strikes, artillery fire and other aerial assaults that caused further damage and casualties.
Zelensky calls for decisive Western action
The latest wave of civilian casualties prompted Zelensky to renew his call for stronger international pressure on Moscow from the US, Europe and other G7 and G20 nations.
“It is essential that our partners pressure Russia so that this terror comes to an end,” the president said.
The Ukrainian leader argued that Europe already has the financial and political tools needed to increase pressure on the Kremlin. He specifically urged allies to target Russia’s energy sector, its shadow tanker fleet and its remaining access to the global financial system.
“Those tools must be used,” Zelensky stressed.
Beyond sanctions, Zelensky emphasized the urgent need to strengthen Ukraine’s air defense as Russia continues relying on guided bombs, drones and missiles against Ukrainian cities.
“I am grateful to every leader who remains active and does not waste a single day,” he concluded.
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