SUMY, Ukraine (Reuters) - Yevheniia Stepanets fled to Poland with her family after Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022 but her children begged her to return home to the city of Sumy. Now that they are back in their native city near the border with Russia, their days are often filled with the din of drones and the threat of missile strikes.

The US State Department condemned the consequences on the civilian population, speaking about the russian missile strike on the center of Sumy on March 24. The