{"id":133592,"date":"2025-04-13T21:50:17","date_gmt":"2025-04-13T21:50:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/if-we-hadnt-moved-wed-be-dead-ukrainians-describe-moment-russian-strikes-hit-sumy-bbc\/"},"modified":"2025-04-13T21:50:17","modified_gmt":"2025-04-13T21:50:17","slug":"if-we-hadnt-moved-wed-be-dead-ukrainians-describe-moment-russian-strikes-hit-sumy-bbc","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/if-we-hadnt-moved-wed-be-dead-ukrainians-describe-moment-russian-strikes-hit-sumy-bbc\/","title":{"rendered":"'If we hadn't moved, we'd be dead': Ukrainians describe moment Russian strikes hit Sumy – BBC"},"content":{"rendered":"

At least 34 people have been killed in Russian strikes<\/a> on the city of Sumy, Ukraine's state emergency service says
A baby born this year is one of the 117 injured<\/a> in the attack, Zelensky says, as he accuses Putin of ignoring the US ceasefire proposal<\/a>
The BBC have been on the ground in Sumy in the aftermath of the strikes- here's what we learnt<\/a>
For Ukrainians, the idea of peace or a ceasefire feels no closer,<\/i> writes our correspondent James Waterhouse in Sumy<\/a>
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen calls the attack "barbaric" – here's how others in Europe have responded<\/a>
This video can not be played
BBC on the scene of Russian missile attack in Sumy
Edited by Matt Spivey, with Ukraine correspondent James Waterhouse reporting from Sumy
\"\"<\/span><\/span>Matt Spivey<\/strong>
Live editor<\/span>
The latest Russian missile attack on Sumy, north east Ukraine, marks the deadliest attack on the country's civilians this year.
At least 34 people have been killed, including two children, and 117 injured.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says "the strike hit right in the heart of the city". He accused Putin of ignoring the US ceasefire proposal and called for decisive action.
BBC's Ukraine correspondent James Waterhouse was in Sumy today speaking with some of those affected, like Nataliia who narrowly escaped death – here's a snapshot of what James uncovered<\/a>.
European leaders reacted to the strike, which Starmer called "horrific" and Macron dubbed a "blatant disregard for lives".
We also heard from the US envoy to Ukraine, Keith Kellogg, who said Russia's attack "crosses any line of decency". Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the attack is "a tragic reminder of why Trump is trying to end war". Trump is yet to comment.
We're now pausing our live coverage. You can keep up to date with the latest developments in our news story<\/a>. Thanks for joining us.
As news broke of Russia's latest strike on Sumy, Ukraine correspondent James Waterhouse and his team began reporting from the ground.
He spoke with people in Sumy and provided analysis on the attack, within the broader context of the Ukraine war. Here's a snapshot:
On the ground<\/b>
Nataliia<\/a>, who narrowly avoided death as her car was destroyed by a missile, told James "if we hadn't moved, we would have died".
Svitlana Smirnova<\/a>, 51, said she was at church for Palm Sunday when the strike happened. Her friend was injured while travelling on a bus at the time of the attack and remains unconscious in hospital, she added.
Acting mayor of Sumy, Artem Kobzar<\/a>, told James: "We haven't had anything like this in our city during the whole war."
This video can not be played
BBC on the scene of Russian missile attack in Sumy
James' analysis<\/b>
A scene of devastation: <\/b>Cluster munitions were used to kill as many people as possible, according to Sumy officials, in a place James said is now habitually pummelled by Russian forces across the nearby border.<\/a>
Still no agreement:<\/b>Every inch of Ukraine feels the pressure of Russia\u2019s full-scale invasion<\/a>, James said, as the idea of peace or a ceasefire feels no closer.
A direct hit?<\/b> James said this appears to have been a direct hit on a bustling city<\/a> on a Sunday morning, as he saw burning vehicles, bent trees and the occasional colour of a dead person\u2019s jacket.
\"\"<\/span><\/span>BBC Monitoring<\/strong><\/span>
The deadly Russian strike on Sumy happened at the time as an award ceremony for some Ukrainian soldiers, the Ukrayinska Pravda website cited mayor of Konotop, Atrem Semenikhin, and several other sources as saying.
The ceremony had been planned by Sumy Region military administration head Volodymyr Artyuk to "award certificates and medals to our heroic guys from the 117th brigade here".
"None of the soldiers were injured, they were all in the shelter," the website states.
Semenikhin also said that a criminal case had been opened to investigate the attack.
Acting mayor of Sumy, Artem Kobzar spoke to the BBC in Sumy
Acting mayor of Sumy, Artem Kobzar, tells the BBC's James Waterhouse: "We haven't had anything like this in our city during the whole war."
He adds that today, Palm Sunday, is a big religious holiday in Ukraine and that "a lot of people went to the church".
Svitlana Smirnova, 51, is one of those who went to the church today. She tells the BBC that she "ran quickly" to safety when the strike happened.
"A friend of mine, who was with her son, was injured in a bus which was hit here," she says, adding that her friend is seriously injured and remains unconscious in the hospital.
Ukraine's emergency services say they have "temporarily suspended" their rescue operations.
In a statement, they also confirm that the latest Russian strikes on Sumy damaged 51 buildings, 34 cars and one tram.
In total, 111 rescuers and 26 specialist units have been working at the scene of the missile attack throughout the day.
Russia's latest missile strike on Sumy, north east Ukraine, is the deadliest attack on civilians in the country this year.<\/b>
Two ballistic missiles struck the city, killing at least 34 people and injuring 117 others<\/b> – including a baby – officials say.
Sumy's military head says the second missile caused the most fatalities<\/b> when it exploded over the street, we heard from one woman who narrowly avoided death as her car was hit by the missile.<\/a>
The missiles are likely to have hit their intended target<\/b>, BBC News weapons expert Chris Partridge says.<\/a>
Russia's defence ministry says Ukrainian drones have been shot down<\/b> over the Kursk region in the past few hours.
"Only completely deranged scum can do something like this," Zelensky said in a statement<\/b> earlier.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio says the Russian attack on Sumy is a "tragic reminder of why President Trump and his administration are putting so much time and effort into trying to end this war and achieve durable peace\u201d.
He adds that the US extends its "deepest condolences" to the victims of the missile strikes.
The Russian Ministry of Defence has issued an update saying that in the last few hours air defence systems have destroyed two Ukrainian attack drones.
The two drones were downed over the border regions of Kursk and Bryansk, the statement on Telegram adds.
We can bring you more now from Zelensky's statement, he says that Friday marked one month since Russia "spurned the US proposal for a full and unconditional ceasefire".
The Ukrainian president says the Kremlin is "not afraid" to keep launching ballistic missile strikes on his country.
"That\u2019s why there are nearly a hundred attack drones every night… targeting ordinary Ukrainian cities," he adds.
Zelensky also says Russian attacks on the frontline "do not stop". "Only pressure – only decisive action – can change this."
"Every Russian ballistic missile, every cruise missile, every Shahed drone and every guided bomb, strikes not only our people and our communities but also diplomacy – and the political efforts to end this war."
"The strike hit right in the heart of the city. On Palm Sunday," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says in an address following the Sumy strikes.
He says that among those left wounded by the Russian attack is a baby girl who was "born this year".
Zelensky adds that she was injured in the second of the two strikes that "exploded over the street".
Two children were killed in the Russian attacks, and 15 others were injured.
"Only completely deranged scum can do something like this," Zelensky says.
Chris Partridge<\/strong>
BBC News weapons analyst<\/span>
Video purporting to capture the moment of the missile strike shows what could either be a ballistic or cruise missile during the final part of its flight, or terminal phase.
It's more likely to be a ballistic missile as Sumy is close to the Russian border. These missiles are fired in an arc into the atmosphere and back down again onto their target.
Cruise missiles, that fly more like a plane or a drone, tend to attack deeper into Ukraine – although this is not always the case. But ballistic missiles can evade air defence systems more easily because of their sheer speed.
Either way, missiles are pre-programmed with target co-ordinates for the intended location of the strike – these are usually precise and accurate.
Unless the missile was successfully "spoofed", or there was a failure in the guidance system, what the weapon struck is highly likely to have been its intended target.
Attacks on built-up civilian areas have also been regularly carried out by the Russians throughout this war.
\"\"<\/span><\/span>BBC Monitoring<\/strong><\/span>
Russia fired two ballistic missiles on Sumy today – it was the second missile that caused most of the casualties, regional military head Serhiy Kryvosheyenko says on Telegram.
"The second ballistic missile was probably filled with fragmentation elements and exploded in the air to inflict maximum damage to people," Kryvosheyenko noted.
"According to preliminary findings, most of the civilians were killed by these fragmentation elements. The explosion was about 200m from the place of the first hit, in a district with residential buildings, education institutions and shops," he said.
Ukrainian officials continue their recovery efforts
Sumy's regional head says Russia's latest strikes on the city aimed to cause the maximum amount of destruction.
Volodymyr Artiukh says the strikes happened when the city was busy: "Many people were outside on the street. The enemy counted on inflicting the biggest damage to people and to the city of Sumy".
Artiukh adds that the injured are receiving assistance, with all emergency services working at the site of the Russian ballistic missile attack.
Parvis Manakhov lives in the centre of Sumy, where 34 people have been killed by Russian strikes
Parvis Manakhov, who lives in the city centre of Sumy, describes the "horror" of the latest Russian strikes.
"There is no military base, and there are no soldiers here. It is simply a genocide… it is horror out there," he tells Reuters news agency.
Manakhov says his neighbour lost her son in November and today "her husband died on the street". He adds that he saw "at least four bodies" in the aftermath of the attack.
Iryna Pryykhodko, 60, says the first explosion was strong but the second was even stronger.
"First I saw shattered windows. Then before the second strike, we took cover inside the residential building. After the second strike, it was all covered with smoke and I could not see anything," she says.
\"\"<\/span><\/span>James Waterhouse<\/strong>
Ukraine correspondent<\/span>
Nataliia escaped death today.
After she heard the first strike she rushed to pick up her child from music school in the building behind her.
It was when she was taking her child and other children to the shelter that the second strike hit her car that you can see in the picture.
\u201cIf we hadn\u2019t moved to the shelter on time we would have been in the car and we would be dead,\u201d she says.
The head of Sumy's branch of the Ukrainian Red Cross says "everyone was helping" recovery efforts following the deadly Russian strikes.
Igor Shapoval says he and his crew "carried out the wounded" and that their injuries "varied in degrees of severity".
He adds: "But we were not the only ones working. The State Emergency Service was working and the military was working".
We've just had an update from Ukraine's state emergency service who say the death toll has risen to 34, from the earlier reported 32.
They add that 117 people are injured, including 15 children.
In a statement they say: "This is an irreparable loss for the whole country."
Chris Partridge<\/strong>
BBC News Weapon Analyst<\/span>
In the aftermath of the latest strike on Sumy, rescue work for Ukraine's law enforcement officers continues
For months, Russia's tactic has been to swamp Ukraine with cheap attack drones to overwhelm them. Today's strike demonstrates the difficulties of intercepting Russian missiles.
Fast-moving missiles are nearly impossible to defeat. Ukraine uses many western-supplied air defences but they cannot cover all areas.
F-16 jet fighters<\/a> are also used to intercept cruise missiles and there have been significant successes. Last December, one Ukrainian F-16 pilot is credited with taking down six Russian missiles during one mission.
But these modern warplanes are in short supply, and their pilots require conversion training to the newer jets.
So far, three pilots have died in combat missions since last year. The latest fatality – Pavlo Ivanov – was only announced yesterday by the Ukrainian armed forces.
Amid the talk of ceasefires, the attacks on Ukraine continue.
Danny Aeberhard<\/strong>
Europe regional editor<\/span>
It was a bright, spring Palm Sunday morning in central Sumy, when the missiles hit.
Harrowing video of the aftermath showed dead civilians in the streets and bystanders helping the injured among the debris.
Sumy is only some 30 kilometres (18.6 miles) from Russia's Kursk region, and has been attacked frequently. President Zelensky said only "filthy scum" could attack ordinary people going about their ordinary lives.
He accused Vladimir Putin of ignoring US attempts to secure a full, unconditional ceasefire.
Zelensky insists peace is only possible by putting pressure on Russia, calling on the world not to remain silent or indifferent.
The EU's foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, has condemned the attack. But it's the view of Washington that really counts.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen says "strong measures are urgently needed to enforce a ceasefire"
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen <\/b>says the strikes are a "grim reminder" that "Russia was and remains the aggressor". This was a "barbaric attack", she adds, "made even more vile as people gathered peacefully to celebrate Palm Sunday".
Germany's outgoing Chancellor Olaf Scholtz<\/b> calls the attack "horrific", adding it shows "Russia is relentlessly continuing its war of aggression against Ukraine".
Italy's prime minister, Giorgia Meloni, <\/b>condemns the "horrible and cowardly Russian attack".
Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavsky<\/b> describes Russia's leaders as "murderers", calling the attack "heinous".
We've also been hearing from French President <\/b>Emmanuel Macron<\/a>, UK Prime Minister <\/b>Keir Starmer <\/a>and President of the European Council <\/b>Antonio Costa<\/a>.<\/b>
Copyright \u00a9 2025 BBC. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking.<\/a><\/p>\n

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