Russia staged a barbaric new double Iskander-M missile strike on Ukraine today hitting a trolley bus, killing at least 32 people and leaving 83 injured. 

The massacre in a region close to the border between the countries left people screaming in terror. 

The dead and wounded – covered in blood – lay in the streets of the city centre after two massive explosions.

Photos too graphic for MailOnline to publish showed the trolley bus burning with victims inside.

At least one child was a victim of the horrific new strike on a city marking the Sunday before Easter.

At least one car was ablaze with people trapped inside.

The Congress Centre in Sumy – part of the city’s university – was hit in one of the most shocking strikes of the three-year war.

Footage showed two strikes on the city hours after Donald Trump said a visit by his envoy Steve Witkoff to see Putin in Moscow showed that the peace efforts ‘might be going OK – and you’re going to be finding out pretty soon.’ 

Russia staged a barbaric new double Iskander-M missile strike on Ukraine today hitting a trolley bus, killing at least 21 people and leaving dozens more injured

At least one child was a victim of the horrific new strike on a city marking the Sunday before Easter

The mayor of Sumy said ‘more than 20 deaths’ were already clear, as the emergency services continued to work

He also said: ‘There comes a point when you either have to act or shut up.’

Andriy Yermak, head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, said: ‘The Russians hit the city of Sumy with missiles, killing civilians.’

The office of the Sumy mayor said there were ‘many dead’.

Acting mayor Artem Kobzar said: ‘On this bright day of Palm Sunday, our community suffered a terrible tragedy.

‘The enemy launched a missile strike on civilians. Unfortunately, more than 20 deaths are already known…’

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky said: ‘A terrible strike by Russian ballistic missiles on Sumy.

‘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, the feast of the Lord’s Entry into Jerusalem.

The office of the Sumy mayor said there were ‘many dead’

Zelensky pleaded for a ‘tough reaction from the world’

‘According to preliminary data, we are talking about dozens of dead and wounded civilians. Only a scoundrel can act like this.

‘Taking the lives of ordinary people. My condolences to the relatives and friends. A rescue operation is underway now. All necessary services are working.’

Zelensky pleaded for a ‘tough reaction from the world’.

He said: ‘The United States, Europe, everyone in the world who wants an end to this war and murders.

‘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. Thank you to everyone who is with Ukraine and helps us protect life.’

Dmytro Lubinets, Ukraine’s human rights ombudsman, said: ‘Sumy. Day off. A major religious holiday for Ukrainians is Palm Sunday.

‘The day when Ukrainian families go to churches, walk around the city with their children.

‘And it was on this day that Russia launched another missile strike on a peaceful city….

‘The epicentre of the strike also included the premises of the regional Human Rights Protection Centre — our Representative Office, which was completely destroyed.

‘Many people were killed and injured. The exact number is being established.

‘This is cynicism of the highest level. This is the deliberate destruction of the civilian population – on a weekend, when people go out into the street, when they are least protected. Condolences to the relatives. Eternal memory…

Dmytro Lubinets, Ukraine’s human rights ombudsman, said: ‘Sumy. Day off. A major religious holiday for Ukrainians is Palm Sunday.’

The Palm Sunday massacre in a region close to the border between the countries left people screaming in terror with scenes from Armageddon

‘This is a Russian terror tactic. The world has no right to remain silent. The best response is urgent action.’

Anatoliy Fedoruk, the mayor of Bucha – destroyed earlier in the war by Putin’s forces – said: ‘A racist missile hit right in the heart of Sumy. Dozens killed. The city centre was turned into a bloody landscape. Continuous terror. They don’t stop.

‘Another day when a terrorist state exists on the map. Each such strike is yet another proof: Russia is incapable of existing alongside the civilised world. Only pain, destruction, and death — that’s its essence.’