EDITORIAL — Sunday, bloody Palm Sunday

Holy Week didn’t begin peacefully in Ukraine.

Thirty four people including two children were killed after being blown to bits, ripped to shreds, or buried under rubble when ballistic missiles hit the center of the northeastern city of Sumy last Sunday. Another 117 people were wounded. The high number of those killed and wounded was because of the occasion; people were out to go to church for Palm Sunday Mass.

News videos are hard to watch, showing blocks of collapsed buildings and burning vehicle wreckage, and bloodied people either lying still or sitting and waiting for help.

With this attack, we have to start questioning if Russia is really serious about negotiating an end to their war with Ukraine. Unless we forget, it was a war that they themselves started against their neighbor, and a war they say Ukrainians don’t seem to want to end through talks and making deals, deals that are highly disadvantageous to them.

News reports that the Russian government is recruiting Chinese men to join their fight against Ukrainians don’t help with their image either, as this means they intend to stretch this war even longer.

Aside from the attack itself, the fact that the Russian military chose to strike during what was supposed to be a holy day, when many people went out to attend church services, makes this mass murder also offensive on a, shall we say, religious level.

We aren’t sure if Russia President Vladimir Putin is a devout Orthodox Christian, or even if he believes in religion at all, but this attack could not have been carried out without his blessing. If this is the case then this would prove that he and his men are willing to set aside religious beliefs or considerations just to gain any advantage --or cause any misery-- in this war.

Sadly, it’s not our place to predict or assure that divine punishment will rain down upon those responsible for this senseless attack; that will have to depend on the Almighty himself.