Nine people have been confirmed dead in a Russian drone strike on a civilian minibus in the North-Eastern Ukrainian town of Bilopillia, Sumy region, local officials reported. The attack occurred on Saturday morning as the minibus was travelling to the regional capital near the Russian border. Seven other passengers were injured in the attack.
The strike came shortly after the first direct peace talks between Russia and Ukraine since 2022, although no significant progress was made in resolving the ongoing conflict. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky condemned the attack, calling it a “deliberate killing of civilians” and accusing Russian forces of knowingly targeting a civilian vehicle. Russia has not provided a direct response but stated that its forces had targeted a “military staging area” in Sumy.
The attack, carried out by a Russian Lancet drone at around 6:17 AM local time, was described as “inhumane” by Oleh Hryhorov, the head of Sumy’s regional administration. The timing of the strike, following the peace talks, has drawn widespread condemnation.
The strike follows a series of escalating military actions, including drone strikes by both Russia and Ukraine. Earlier in the week, Russia carried out drone attacks across the region, killing three and injuring several others.
While the peace talks in Istanbul, Turkey, failed to produce any breakthroughs, an agreement was made to exchange 1,000 prisoners of war from each side. Ukraine reiterated its call for an unconditional ceasefire, but Russia remains firm in its stance, with little hope for a deal in the immediate future.
In another development, Ukraine reportedly launched drone strikes on an ammunition depot in Crimea, which caused significant explosions.
