A Russian drone strike targeting a bakery in the northern Ukrainian city of Sumy early Friday morning claimed the life of one man and disrupted Easter preparations, Ukrainian officials said. The attack came as Christians in Ukraine were marking Good Friday, ahead of Easter Sunday.
According to Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha, the victim was a local businessman who had gone to the bakery to collect an order of Easter cakes, known locally as paska, when the drone struck around 5 a.m. (0200 GMT). Emergency services later shared images from the scene showing trays of the traditional Easter bread covered in grey dust amid shattered windows and debris.
“So much for Russia’s ‘traditional Christian values.’ It is against the Lord, any faith, and any human values to strike an ordinary pastry shop, murder an entrepreneur, and destroy Easter bread,” Sybiha posted on social media platform X (formerly Twitter), condemning the attack. “This is the evil we are dealing with every day.”
The strike adds to the growing list of attacks on civilian infrastructure in Ukraine, drawing further international condemnation. Last Sunday, the city of Sumy was also the target of a deadly Russian ballistic missile strike that killed 35 people, making it the deadliest single attack on Ukraine so far this year.
The Ukrainian Christian community, including Orthodox, Catholic, and Protestant believers, had been preparing to celebrate Easter in the shadow of war. This latest tragedy underscores the vulnerability of civilians as the conflict with Russia continues to escalate.
Ukrainian officials have once again called on the international community to step up support and pressure on Moscow to halt its ongoing aggression against Ukraine.
Sources By Agencies
