(Updated: )
Editor's note: This story is being updated and contains graphic images.
Russian forces attacked downtown Sumy in Ukraine's northeast on June 3, killing four people and injuring 28 others, including three children, according to Ukrainian authorities.
According to preliminary reports, Russia launched five attacks on Sumy using multiple launch rocket systems.
"The Russians launched a savage strike on Sumy — directly targeting the city and its ordinary streets with rocket artillery. It was a fully deliberate attack on civilians," President Volodymyr Zelensky said on X.
A 17-year-old was among the injured, with authorities describing the condition of many victims as serious.
At nearly 4:30 p.m. local time, the death toll rose to four after a 43-year-old man who was in a serious condition died in the hospital. His seven-year-old daughter was also severely injured in the Russian attack.
The attack reportedly set two cars ablaze, destroying them completely. A medical facility and residential buildings were also damaged.
At 7 p.m. local time, rescuers finished working at the sites of the attacks. Sappers also examined the affected area and removed the remains of explosives, the State Emergency Service reported.
Local authorities declared June 3 and 4 a day of mourning in Sumy.
According to Zelensky, at least one of the projectiles used by Russia in the attack on Sumy failed to detonate, piercing the wall of a nine-story apartment building.
"That alone says everything one needs to know about Russia’s so-called 'desire' to end this war," he added, calling on the U.S. and Europe to increase pressure on Moscow.
The attack came only a day after Russia and Ukraine held a second round of talks in Istanbul on June 2, which focused on a new prisoner exchange, but yet again failed to achieve a breakthrough in peace efforts.
Russia proposed a limited two- to three-day ceasefire in specific front-line areas to recover the bodies of fallen soldiers, while continuing to disregard Ukraine’s call for a 30-day unconditional ceasefire supported by Western partners.
Sumy Oblast, which borders Russia to the north, has been a repeated target of Russian incursions and shelling since the start of the full-scale invasion in 2022. The region has recently seen renewed hostilities as Russian forces ramp up activity along the northeastern border.
In late May, President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Russia is accumulating 50,000 troops near Sumy Oblast, seeking to create a 10-kilometer buffer zone in the area.
Hours after a first round of Russia-Ukraine peace talks on May 16, Russia launched a drone strike in Sumy Oblast, killing nine people and injuring seven more.
Kateryna Hodunova
