Russian missiles hit the northeastern Ukrainian city of Sumy in the deadliest attack this year, killing at least 32 people, including two children, as residents gathered for Sunday church services, local authorities said.

At least 84 people, including ten children, have also been wounded in the strikes on the city’s center, according to the State Emergency Service of Ukraine, making it the worst single attack on Ukrainian civilians since 2023.

Last week, a Russian missile attack killed 20 people in the central city of Kryvyi Rih.

Zelensky said the deadly strikes on Sumy were carried out by ballistic missiles and called for a “strong response from the world” in a statement.

“Russia wants exactly this kind of terror and is dragging out this war,” he said. “Without pressure on the aggressor, peace is impossible. Talking has never stopped ballistic missiles and bombs. We need to treat Russia as a terrorist deserves.”

The strikes hit the city center on Palm Sunday as residents were attending church services on one of the busiest church-going days of the year, according to Ukraine’s Economy Minister Yulia Svyrydenko.

Two ballistic missiles were fired by Russia into the city center, said Volodymyr Artyukh, head of the military administration in the region. “At that time, a lot of people were on the street,” he said.