More than 20 people were killed in a massive strike launched by the Russian military on the Ukrainian city of Sumy, the local acting mayor has said. And the Ukrainian emergency service warned the "terrible strike" will have likely caused "dozens" of casualties.

The statement read: "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." They added a "rescue operation is under way now", as the full extent of the disaster is to be assessed. In a separate statement, the region's mayor Artem Kobzar said Russia launched "a missile strike on civilians".

He said in a statement on Telegram at least people have died after the attack on the city in northeastern Ukraine. Meanwhile, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky has described the attack as "horrific". He said that early reports suggest dozens of civilians have been killed or injured.

He added: “The world must respond firmly. What’s needed is an attitude toward Russia that a terrorist deserves."

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