Local officials report that a Russian drone strike on a civilian minibus in north-eastern Ukraine has resulted in the deaths of nine individuals.
Regional military officials reported that seven additional individuals sustained injuries during the attack on Saturday morning in Bilopillia, Sumy, while the minibus was en route to the regional capital near the border with Russia.
The report emerged hours after the first direct peace talks between Russia and Ukraine since 2022. While no significant progress was made, an agreement was reached regarding a prisoner-of-war exchange.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky characterized the attack as “a deliberate killing of civilians.” While Russia has refrained from providing a direct comment, state media has indicated that its forces targeted a “military staging area” in Sumy.
Zelensky stated that Russian forces “could not help but understand what kind of vehicle they were hitting”.
According to initial reports, Oleh Hryhorov, the head of the Sumy region, stated that a Russian Lancet drone struck a bus at 06:17 local time on Saturday (03:17 GMT). He characterised the attack as “inhumane”.
Discussions held on Friday in Istanbul, Turkey, yielded no significant progress, as Ukraine and Russia continue to diverge in their approaches to resolving the ongoing conflict.
In recent developments, both parties have reached an agreement to exchange 1,000 prisoners of war in the days ahead.
Zelensky remarked on the discussions, stating, “As on any day of this war, there was an opportunity to cease fire.” Ukraine has been making this proposal for an extended period.
In the aftermath of the discussions held in Istanbul, Ukraine has once again emphasized its demand for a complete and unconditional ceasefire; however, a resolution with Russia continues to be out of reach.
Ukraine announced that the forthcoming phase in the ongoing situation will involve direct discussions between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Russia’s Vladimir Putin.
Russia has acknowledged the request, stating that it has “taken notice” of it.
The United States has asserted that any advancement towards resolving the conflict hinges on a direct meeting between President Donald Trump and President Vladimir Putin.
While travelling in the Middle East, Trump informed reporters aboard Air Force One that “nothing’s going to happen until Putin, and I get together.”
Trump stated, “He wasn’t going if I wasn’t there, and I don’t believe anything’s going to happen, whether you like it or not, until he and I get together.”
In February 2022, Russia initiated a comprehensive military invasion of Ukraine.
In August, Ukraine utilized Sumy as a base for launching offensives into Russia’s Kursk region. Earlier this year, Russia successfully pushed back a significant portion of Ukraine’s military forces and has since escalated its cross-border artillery and air strikes in recent months.
In a series of drone strikes executed earlier this week, Russia targeted areas in the region, resulting in the deaths of three individuals and injuries to nine others, as reported by the regional military administration in Sumy. This incident occurred just prior to the commencement of discussions with Ukraine.
On Saturday, reports emerged that Ukrainian drones targeted an ammunition depot located in Crimea, a region that has been under illegal Russian annexation since 2014.
Reports indicate that a strike in Ukraine led to the explosion of warehouses containing military equipment, weapons, and fuel.
