Russia hit the centre of Sumy with four guided bombs, killing two people and wounding six, including three children, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky said. A school was hit while classes were in session.
"Thanks to the teachers and the school's staff: the children and teachers were in shelter, and 100 people in all were evacuated in time," Zelensky said.
Homes in the city's private housing area were also damaged. Rescuers and other emergency crews are working at the sites.
Zelensky reacted sharply to the choice of targets: "To strike like this at children, at schools, at ordinary homes." He said statements alone are not enough in response to such attacks and that real pressure on Russia is needed. He called on the United States, European countries and Ukraine's other partners, saying Kyiv is waiting for concrete steps, not words. He offered condolences to the families of those killed.
It is the latest guided bomb strike on Sumy in a matter of days. On September 27, a similar strike on the city killed an elderly woman and a 16-year-old girl and injured five people. That attack damaged a support centre for families and children, as well as several apartment blocks.