Russian missile wounds 74 in Ukraine amid ceasefire talks

Bengaluru — A Russian missile attack damaged a school and a hospital in Ukraine’s northeastern city of Sumy, wounding at least 74 people including 13 children on Monday as ceasefire talks ploughed on, officials said

Several high-rise residential blocks in the city centre were also damaged, regional governor Volodymyr Artyukh said. The schoolchildren were in a shelter at the time, he added without going into more details.

Artyukh spoke in a video that he said was shot at the scene, with heavy black smoke, fires and a car with shattered windows in the background. Smoke also rose from the upper floors of a five-storey residential block nearby.

The attack came as Russian and US officials meet in Saudi Arabia to discuss a possible ceasefire.

“Moscow speaks of peace while carrying out brutal strikes on densely populated residential areas in major Ukrainian cities,” Ukrainian foreign minister Andrii Sybiha said.

“Instead of making hollow statements about peace, Russia must stop bombing our cities and end its war on civilians,” Sybiha added.

Acting Sumy mayor Artem Kobzar said on Telegram an industrial facility was attacked but did not name it.

Sumy, about 30km from the Russian border, comes under constant drone and missile strikes from Russia.

Reuters