A Russian drone struck a bus with civilians in Ukraine's Sumy region, killing at least nine people and injuring four others, the head of the military administration of the region in Ukraine's northeast said on Saturday. The attack came hours after Russia and Ukraine held their first direct peace talks in three years.
"Passengers have been injured," Ihor Tkachenko, head of Sumy's military administration, said on the Telegram messaging app. "Medics and rescuers have been urgently sent to the scene.'"
"This is not just another shelling – it is a cynical war crime," Ukraine's National Police said in a post on the Telegram messaging app. Ihor Tkachenko, head of Sumy's military administration, said on Telegram that a rescue operation was under way.
Ukraine's police posted photos showing the aftermath of the strike in Sumy’s Bilopillia city, around 10 kilometres (6 miles) from the front line and border with Russia.
Neither Reuters nor the Associated Press could independently verify the Ukrainian report and there was no comment from Moscow.
A period of mourning has been declared in Bilopillia from Saturday through Monday, with local community chief Yurii Zarko calling the day of the attack “Black Saturday”.
The local media outlet Suspilne said the passengers on the bus were being evacuated from Bilopillia when the strike occurred. Authorities are working to identify the victims, most of them elderly women.
The injured were taken to a hospital in Sumy, the regional capital. Three people were reported to be in serious condition.
It wasn't immediately clear how the strike would affect peace efforts.
Saturday's attack follows a meeting of Russian and Ukrainian officials in Turkey on Friday, which failed to broker a temporary ceasefire. It was the first direct dialogue between the two sides since the early months of the war that Russia launched in February 2022.
After the talks, Kyiv said it was seeking an "unconditional ceasefire" to pause the conflict, which has destroyed large swathes of Ukraine and displaced millions of people.
But Moscow has consistently rebuffed those calls and the only concrete agreement appeared to be a deal to exchange 1,000 prisoners each.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he discussed the talks with US President Donald Trump and the leaders of France, Germany, the UK and Poland. In a post on X from a European leadership meeting in Albania, he urged “tough sanctions” against Moscow if it rejects “a full and unconditional ceasefire and an end to killings”.
“Pressure on Russia must be maintained until Russia is ready to end the war,” Zelensky said on X, posting a photo of the leaders during the call, the second for the group since May 10.
Both sides deny targeting civilians in their attacks, but thousands have died in the conflict, the vast majority of them Ukrainians.
"Passengers have been injured," Ihor Tkachenko, head of Sumy's military administration, said on the Telegram messaging app. "Medics and rescuers have been urgently sent to the scene.'"
"This is not just another shelling – it is a cynical war crime," Ukraine's National Police said in a post on the Telegram messaging app. Ihor Tkachenko, head of Sumy's military administration, said on Telegram that a rescue operation was under way.
Ukraine's police posted photos showing the aftermath of the strike in Sumy’s Bilopillia city, around 10 kilometres (6 miles) from the front line and border with Russia.
Neither Reuters nor the Associated Press could independently verify the Ukrainian report and there was no comment from Moscow.
A period of mourning has been declared in Bilopillia from Saturday through Monday, with local community chief Yurii Zarko calling the day of the attack “Black Saturday”.
The local media outlet Suspilne said the passengers on the bus were being evacuated from Bilopillia when the strike occurred. Authorities are working to identify the victims, most of them elderly women.
The injured were taken to a hospital in Sumy, the regional capital. Three people were reported to be in serious condition.
It wasn't immediately clear how the strike would affect peace efforts.
Saturday's attack follows a meeting of Russian and Ukrainian officials in Turkey on Friday, which failed to broker a temporary ceasefire. It was the first direct dialogue between the two sides since the early months of the war that Russia launched in February 2022.
After the talks, Kyiv said it was seeking an "unconditional ceasefire" to pause the conflict, which has destroyed large swathes of Ukraine and displaced millions of people.
But Moscow has consistently rebuffed those calls and the only concrete agreement appeared to be a deal to exchange 1,000 prisoners each.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he discussed the talks with US President Donald Trump and the leaders of France, Germany, the UK and Poland. In a post on X from a European leadership meeting in Albania, he urged “tough sanctions” against Moscow if it rejects “a full and unconditional ceasefire and an end to killings”.
“Pressure on Russia must be maintained until Russia is ready to end the war,” Zelensky said on X, posting a photo of the leaders during the call, the second for the group since May 10.
Both sides deny targeting civilians in their attacks, but thousands have died in the conflict, the vast majority of them Ukrainians.
