Commentary, Geopolitics & Power
On Sunday, April 13th — Palm Sunday — Russian forces launched the Sumy attack, striking the Ukrainian city , killing civilians and damaging homes and infrastructure. The timing could not have been more cynical. Across Eastern Europe, this was a day of peace, reflection, and shared tradition. What should have brought quiet, brought fire instead.
War is always brutal. But this was something different. A strike on a holy day shared by both Russians and Ukrainians sent a message far beyond military logic. It said: nothing is sacred. Not people. Not cities. Not memory. The target was not only physical — it was emotional, symbolic, cultural. It turned violence into contempt. Contempt into hatred.
“This is not the fog of war. It is a clear act of hatred — and it must be condemned without hesitation.”
The Sumy Attack as a Moral Turning Point
We must not look away. Silence will not heal. Some things cross a line so clear that failing to speak is its own betrayal. Attacking a civilian city on Palm Sunday is such a moment. If we do not name it for what it is, If we do not name it for what it is, we risk normalizing the deliberate targeting of civilians — and undermining every honest effort to imagine peace.
If peace is still possible, it will not come through silence or appeasement — but through clarity, justice, and a commitment to rebuilding what’s been shattered. A Eurasian Covenant of Peace may feel out of place in a moment like this. But peace, if it ever returns, will begin not with treaties — but with repentance, justice, and the courage to believe that hatred does not have the final word.
Russia Today and Trump Framing
The Russian missile strike on Sumy has been portrayed differently across various media outlets. Russian state television and outlets such as Russia Today framed the attack as a “staged provocation” aimed at derailing ceasefire discussions between Moscow and the West. Conversely, international media focused on the high civilian death toll and the timing of the attack during Palm Sunday. Former U.S. President Donald Trump referred to the strike as a “mistake,” a statement that Ukrainian officials criticized as echoing Russian disinformation narratives (source).