A warning - the following story contains elements that may distress some people
TRANSCRIPT
"What do you see? It is horror out there."
It is horror out there.
That is all Parviz Manakhov can say, as he is asked what he sees around him.
That sentiment is shared by many, as bodies lie on the street - injured or dead - on Palm Sunday.
Mr Manakhov and his neighbours live in an apartment block in Sumy, a city in Ukraine's northeast that has just endured a missile strike by Russia.
As he observes the destruction around him, Mr Manakhov says he is already aware of some people who did not survive.
"I saw at least four bodies. The woman sitting next to me is my neighbour. Her grandson died in November and today her husband died on the street."
The woman's grief is visible and is shared by loved ones of at least 34 people killed in the strike.
When the blasts came on Sunday morning, locals report there was an initial explosion, followed by a stronger one.
Sixty year-old Iryna Pryykhodko ran to safety with her family.
“First I saw shattered windows. Then before the second strike, we took cover inside the residential building. After the second strike, it was all covered with smoke and I could not see anything."
At least 117 people were injured, among them, Valeria Maksymova.
"I was in my apartment on the fourth floor. I was in the hallway and I was thrown by the blast wave. I do not know whether I lost consciousness or not."
Olena was at home when the bombs fell.
"It was very loud. Everything shook, and then there was smoke at once. The curtains went inside. My windows face the backyard, so they were skewed, and the curtain rods fell. Those who live on the other side suffered more. Balcony doors and windows were blown out. People had many injuries, including cuts."
Russian authorities have not yet responded to a request for comment on the deadliest strike in Ukraine in months.
The military denies targeting civilians in the war in Ukraine, but thousands of civilians have been killed and injured since Russia's invasion.
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres released a statement within hours, saying he was deeply alarmed and shocked.
European leaders followed suit; via social media, European Commission's President, Ursula Von der Leyen, called the attack 'barbaric'; while other leaders, like French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz offered condolences for the victims and their families.
Mr Scholz's successor, incoming German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, has described the strike as a serious war crime.
As world leaders reacted to the strikes, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy made a plea to his United States counterpart, Donald Trump.
"Please, before any kind of decisions, any kind of forms of negotiations, come to see people, civilians, warriors, hospitals, churches, children destroyed or dead."
Mr Zelenskyy's request comes days after talks were held between US special envoy and Russian President Vladimir Putin over a potential peace deal.
A Russian news outlet released video of Special Envoy Steve Witkoff leaving a hotel in Russia's second city St Petersburg, accompanied by Kirill Dmitriev, Mr Putin's investment envoy.
President Trump took to social media to put pressure on Russia during the talks, saying 'Russia has to get moving', with 'too many people dying... in a terrible senseless war'.
Mr Putin and Mr Trump have spoken by phone but have yet to meet face-to-face.
President Trump, who has shown signs of losing patience, has spoken of imposing secondary sanctions on countries that buy Russian oil if he feels Russia is dragging its feet on a Ukrainian deal.
Ukraine's leader is also demanding the broader international community take a tougher stance on Russia following this latest aggression.
"Only pressure, only decisive action, can change this. Every Russian ballistic missile, every cruise missile, every Russian Shahed, every guided bomb, strike not only our people, not only our communities, but also diplomacy, and the political efforts of everyone who is truly trying to bring this to an end."
