Putin missile strike 'kills more than 20' in Ukraine as Russian onslaught stepped up

Russian missiles have killed two dozen people in an attack this morning after projectiles rained down on civilian population centres.

Missiles rained down on Sumy, this morning after stepped up his attacks on the country, with reports indicating the despot targeted civilians. The acting mayor of the northern Ukrainian city said in a statement on Telegram that a "terrible" strike of ballistic missiles was launched, with emergency services saying they hit an "ordinary city street", and firefighters seen tackling a resulting blaze. The state emergency service of Ukraine said: "A terrible strike by Russian ballistic missiles on Sumy.

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"Enemy missiles hit an ordinary city street, ordinary life, houses, educational institutions, cars on the street. And this is on a day when people go to church: Palm Sunday."

Ukrainian interior minister Ihor Klymenko said dozens more people were injured, with at least 83 receiving wounds from the strike. He added victims were in the street, taking public transport, driving and sitting inside when the strike hit.

He slammed the strike as a "deliberate destruction of civilians on an important church feast day". Volodymyr Zelensky's chief of staff Andriy Yermak provided an update in a post on X, confirming civilians were killed in the attack, with security official Andriy Kovalenko noting the strike followed US envoy Steve Witkoff's Moscow visit last week.

He wrote on Telegram: " is building all this so-called diplomacy... around strikes on civilians."

Ukrainian President Mr Zelensky himself later issued a statement on the attack, calling on "tough action from the " against Russian "scoundrels" in a post on Telegram in which he said talks "have never stopped ballistic missiels and air bombs".

He wrote: "Russia wants exactly this kind of terror and is dragging out this war. Without pressure on the aggressor, peace is impossible. Talks have never stopped ballistic missiles and air bombs. We need the kind of attitude towards Russia that a terrorist deserves."

The strike follows a decision by to extend Joe Biden-era sanctions on Russia, with the President signing an executive order that will see them continue until mid-April. The act states the sanctions - originally posed by Biden in 2021 following harmful Russian activities - would continue until at least April 15.

The document states: "Specified harmful foreign activities of the Government of the Russian Federation continue to pose an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security, foreign policy, and economy of the United States.

"For this reason, the national emergency must continue in effect beyond 15 April 2025."