Russia stated that it launched two missiles targeting a gathering of Ukrainian military officers on Sunday in the city of Sumy. Ukrainian officials, however, reported that the strikes killed 34 civilians and left 117 injured.

The Russian defense ministry accused Ukraine of placing military personnel and facilities within densely populated urban areas, effectively using civilians as human shields. Kyiv has not issued a response to this accusation.

According to Russian officials, the missiles used were Iskander-M tactical types, aimed at a location where Ukrainian armed forces were allegedly meeting. They claimed the strike killed over 60 Ukrainian soldiers.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky condemned the attack and called for a firm international response. The assault occurred on Palm Sunday, a religious holiday during which many people were attending church services.

“Only those without conscience could do this—taking innocent lives on a holy day,” Zelensky said.

The UK, Germany, and Italy leaders strongly condemned the strike. When asked about the incident, former U.S. President Donald Trump called it “terrible” and added, “I was told it was a mistake,” without further details.

In response to questions about Trump’s remark and whether the strike was accidental, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov declined to comment directly. He said only the defense ministry speaks on military operations and repeated earlier claims that Russian forces strike only military or related targets.