Palm Sunday is a day when people go to churches, carry willow branches, and pray for peace and blessings. But on April 13, 2025, in Sumy, this holy day turned into hell. Russian forces, as if mocking the very idea of humanity, launched a missile strike at the heart of the city—the Sumy State University Congress Center. Two ballistic “Iskander-M”/KN-23 missiles with high-explosive fragmentation warheads hit the building where a children’s performance was scheduled to begin at 11:00. The clock hadn’t yet struck the hour, and that alone spared dozens of young lives. But can we call it “luck” when death was already lurking?

The missiles didn’t just strike a building. They shredded the lives of ordinary people who, at that moment, were walking the streets, driving their cars, or riding public transport. Fire devoured everything: cars where people burned alive, buses that became mass graves, homes reduced to ashes along with those inside. A trolleybus carrying passengers burst into flames like a torch—almost no one survived. Imagine the horror: one moment there’s laughter, conversations, plans for the day; the next—only screams, pain, and death.

At least 31 people are confirmed dead, two of them children. Ninety-nine civilians sought medical help, including 11 children. Thirty-four are hospitalized, ten in critical condition. These numbers are cold, but behind each one lies a tragedy—unfulfilled dreams, promises to come home, lives cut short.

This was no accident. It was no “mistake.” It was a deliberate, cynical attack on civilians, timed to maximize casualties. The Russians knew they were targeting a city where children were about to gather. They knew their missiles would bring unimaginable pain, grief, and suffering. And still, they pulled the trigger.

This strike is yet another proof that russia isn’t fighting armies. It’s fighting children, mothers, and ordinary people who just want to live. Once again, it has shown the world its true face—savage, merciless, and consumed by hatred. The world sees the blood on Sumy’s streets, hears the cries of mothers, and feels Ukraine’s pain. But is it enough to stop this evil?

Sumy weeps. Ukraine weeps. But we will not surrender. We will remember every victim, every tear. And we will fight to ensure that no more Palm Sundays are stained with blood.