Russian missiles hit a densely populated area of the northeastern Ukraine city of Sumy, early Tuesday morning, injuring at least 88 people, including 17 children, as a result of a ceasefire.
Regional Governor Volodymyr Artiukh announced the latest casualties on state television, saying more and more children escaped injuries as they were evacuated to air-raid shelters.
“They are in dense areas where enemy strikes attack.
“I was in the impact area when our rescuers cleared the location of the kids. I was there. They were in the protective structure. All the kids were rescued and evacuated to a safe place,” Altic said.
Several high-rise residential neighborhoods in the city center were also reportedly damaged.
Artiukh said earlier in a video that he said it was taken at the scene by violent black smoke, fire and a car with broken windows.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy expressed regret over the attack in the video address, the latest example of the losses, pain and destruction suffered by Ukraine.
The latest attack comes as Russian and U.S. officials meet in Saudi Arabia to discuss a possible ceasefire.
According to Zelenskyy, Russia is the only entity that prolongs the war and tortures its people and the world.
“Forcing Russia to establish peace requires strong measures and decisive actions. We are ready to support all powerful initiatives that make diplomacy more effective,” he said.
