Ukraine just suffered its deadliest attack on civilians this year. Experts say it's part of a grim trend

When Volodymyr Niankin rushed to the centre of Sumy to conscionable his woman and their seven-year-old lad who made it to a structure conscionable moments earlier a rocket exploded above, helium described coming crossed a post-apocalyptic scene.

Bodies were scattered crossed the crushed and cars were engulfed successful flames, helium said, after missiles slammed into a once-bustling area in Sumy, a metropolis successful northeastern Ukraine.

"People were shouting and crying adjacent the dead," helium told CBC News. "My lad told maine that is the worst time of his life…. It's the worst of my life, too."

At slightest 35 radical were killed and much than 115 injured erstwhile 2 Russian ballistic missiles exploded adjacent Sumy State University, arsenic galore were connected their mode to religion for Palm Sunday. 

Russia says it was targeting a gathering of subject commanders successful the city. But UN human rights experts accidental the latest onslaught is an "ugly indicator" of a disturbing inclination they person been seeing since the opening of the year: An expanding fig of civilians are being killed, adjacent arsenic Washington has been trying to person Russia to hold to a ceasefire. 

WATCH | The onslaught killed astatine slightest 35 successful Sumy: 

'We recognize that things are getting worse'

Niankin says the 2 missiles struck locations astir 100 metres isolated successful Sumy, a metropolis of astir a 4th of a cardinal people. 

The archetypal limb hit a league centre belonging to Sumy's authorities university, which was besides wherever Niankin and his woman ran a tiny assemblage theatre.

After the archetypal rocket struck, Niankin's woman had called him to accidental that she and their lad were leaving a gathering adjacent and heading to a shelter. While they were moving there, the 2nd rocket exploded. The unit of the blast blew a doorway off, which landed connected their son's leg. 

While the child was conscionable bruised and not earnestly injured, Niankin says helium has been traumatized by the attack. 

"Most of the radical died aft the 2nd rocket due to the fact that they were connected the street."

Several were killed wrong a trolley autobus that was conscionable passing by astatine the clip that the 2nd rocket exploded. 

"It's conscionable terrible," helium said to CBC News successful an interrogation implicit Zoom. 

"We recognize that things are getting worse."

Increasing civilian casualties

According to the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission successful Ukraine, betwixt January and March this year, much than 440 civilians were killed and implicit 2,200 injured, an summation of 47 per cent implicit the aforesaid play successful 2024.

Less than halfway into April, experts accidental this grim signifier is continuing. 

Nine days earlier the strikes successful Sumy, 20 radical were killed successful the confederate central city of Kryvyi Rih, erstwhile a ballistic rocket slammed into a residential area, spraying shrapnel crossed a wide range, including a playground. 

WATCH | Europe's relation successful defending Ukraine: 

Nine children were killed successful that attack, including a nine-year-old who was connected a plaything astatine the time.

"That onslaught had the highest fig of children killed since the full-scale invasion," said Danielle Bell, caput of the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission successful Ukraine. 

"The patterns and trends of harm that we're documenting are precise worrying."

The onslaught connected Sumy's metropolis centre, which lies astir 30 kilometres from the Russian border, came 2 days aft Washington's peculiar envoy Steve Witkoff met with Russian President Vladimir Putin successful St. Petersburg for talks that the Kremlin described arsenic "extremely useful."

In a statement, Russia's Defence Ministry said its forces had fired 2 Iskander-M tactical missiles astatine a gathering of subject commanders. It claimed much than 60 Ukrainian soldiers were killed, though it didn't connection immoderate evidence.

While U.S. President Donald Trump called the onslaught "terrible" — adding that helium was told "they made a mistake" — helium didn't elaborate erstwhile reporters pressed for much detail. 

Later, connected Monday, successful comments made connected societal media and successful the Oval Office, Trump questioned the Ukrainian president's competence, and accused Volodymyr Zelenskyy of allowing the warfare to begin.

Many European leaders person condemned Russia's onslaught successful Sumy. Germany's chancellor-in-waiting Friedrich Merz called it a superior "war crime."

A metropolis 30 kilometres from the frontline

Russia has attacked Sumy with missiles, drones and bombs before, particularly since August erstwhile Ukraine made its astonishment incursion into Russia's Kursk region. 

Niankin says the weapons usually people subject sites and those connected to electrical infrastructure. But this onslaught was the deadliest attack on civilians this year, according to Ukrainian officials. 

The caput of the Ukrainian president's office, Andriy Yermak, said the missiles were packed with clump munitions designed to permission a much devastating wake. 

Under planetary humanitarian law, an onslaught directed astatine a subject entity tin beryllium unlawful if determination is an indiscriminate oregon disproportionate effect connected civilians. 

Experts with the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission are sending a squad to Sumy to talk with victims and eyewitnesses and to cod evidence. 

They effort to bash this aft each civilian attack, Bell said. She says much civilians person been killed owed to an "intensified usage of long-range weapons," which successful immoderate cases person hit schools and flat buildings. 

"We person seen an summation successful attacks that person affected aesculapian facilities ... hospitals and clinics," said Bell. 

More drones successful Sumy

In Sumy, Niankin and his woman visited the rubble-strewn assemblage theatre Sunday afternoon. The extortion of the gathering was gone, and piles of bricks had collapsed onto what was erstwhile their stage. They salvaged what props and costumes they could find from the partially destroyed dressing room. 

Niankin believes that immoderate families surviving successful the metropolis whitethorn take to determination further west. 

However, helium says helium won't, arsenic helium has an aged grandma successful the city. He and his woman besides judge it is important for them to enactment truthful they proceed to tally play programs for children successful the city. 

"For us, staying successful Sumy is similar a societal mission," helium said, but helium doubted the metropolis would get a reprieve. 

After Sunday's tragedy, helium thought that Monday mightiness beryllium quieter, but helium was rapidly proven wrong. 

"Shahed [drones] landed astir 1 hr agone successful portion of the city," helium said, referring to Iranian-designed drones that explode on impact. 

"I saw the achromatic fume from my window."