Russian strikes on eastern Ukraine have killed at least four civilians, a day after one of the deadliest attacks in recent months left more than 30 people dead in Sumy in the northeast and drew condemnation.

Local officials in the Kharkiv region reported that artillery and rocket fire on Monday hit the town of Kupiansk, a strategic rail junction once held by Russian forces and retaken by Ukraine in 2022. Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second largest city, also came under renewed drone attack overnight, underscoring Moscow’s concerted efforts to gain ground in the northeast.

Kharkiv Governor Oleh Syniehubov said a 68-year-old man and a 61-year-old woman were killed in Monday’s shelling while a rocket strike claimed the lives of a 77-year-old woman and a 52-year-old man.

‘Russian mistake’

The attacks follow Sunday’s twin missile strike on the centre of Sumy, where Christian civilians had gathered to mark Palm Sunday.

Ukrainian officials said at least 34 people were killed and more than 100 injured in the blast. Among the dead were two children.

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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy condemned the attack as a deliberate targeting of civilians. He urged United States President Donald Trump in an interview on the CBS TV network’s 60 Minutes news programme to “please, before any kind of decisions, any kind of  forms of negotiations, come to see people, civilians, warriors, hospitals, churches, children destroyed or dead”.

Despite the heavy civilian toll, Trump, who has previously faced criticism for his perceived leniency towards Russia and President Vladimir Putin, called the Sumy attack a “mistake” and a “horrible thing”.

‘Human shields’ claim

The Kremlin said it struck a military target, saying two Iskander-M tactical missiles hit a meeting of Ukrainian officers in Sumy and blamed Kyiv for using civilians as “human shields” without providing any evidence.

Russia accused Ukraine of endangering civilians by carrying out military operations in urban areas.

According to Russia’s Ministry of Defence, the target was part of an operational command centre and the attack killed more than 60 Ukrainian soldiers. There has been no confirmation of that from Ukraine’s side.

Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski on Monday urged Trump and his advisers to recognise that Putin is “mocking their goodwill”. Several other European Union leaders and the United Kingdom condemned Russia on Sunday.

Russia accuses Germany of escalation

In the meantime, the Kremlin warned Germany’s incoming chancellor, Friedrich Merz, over suggestions his government might consider sending long-range Taurus missiles to Ukraine.

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Merz told German media that if there was a consensus among European allies, he would support the move. “That would be one way of finally putting this country [Ukraine] strategically – to stay with the term – ahead of the situation,” adding that he was not convinced that “Putin would react positively to weakness and peace offers”.

Merz called the Sumy attack “a serious war crime”.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov warned that such a step would “inevitably lead only to a further escalation” and accused Western leaders of fuelling the war.

Berlin, one of Kyiv’s top arms suppliers, has so far held back from providing Taurus missiles despite repeated Ukrainian appeals.