Russian Drone Attack on bus kills 9 in Ukraine, Hours after Peace talks

A Russian drone strike hit a civilian bus in the city of Bilopillia, in Ukraine’s northeastern Sumy region, killing at least nine people and injuring seven others, according to Ukrainian officials. The attack happened on Saturday morning, just hours after peace talks between the two countries took place in Istanbul. “This is not just another shelling – it is a cynical war crime,” Ukraine’s National Police said in a statement on Telegram. Police also confirmed that the target was a civilian vehicle. Oleh Hrihorov, the head of Sumy’s military administration, said, “Seven people were hurt, and

A Russian drone strike hit a civilian bus in the city of Bilopillia, in Ukraine’s northeastern Sumy region, killing at least nine people and injuring seven others, according to Ukrainian officials. The attack happened on Saturday morning, just hours after peace talks between the two countries took place in Istanbul. “This is not just another shelling – it is a cynical war crime,” Ukraine’s National Police said in a statement on Telegram. Police also confirmed that the target was a civilian vehicle. Oleh Hrihorov, the head of Sumy’s military administration, said, “Seven people were hurt, and three of them are in very serious condition.” An image shared by police showed a van with shattered windows and large holes on the right side and roof. The vehicle was severely damaged. Meanwhile, Russia’s state news agency TASS reported that the drone strike was aimed at a Ukrainian military equipment site in Sumy. Russia has denied targeting civilians, as has Ukraine, but both sides continue to accuse each other of war crimes. Across Ukraine, at least 13 people were killed and more than 38 were injured in Russian attacks over the past 24 hours, according to Ukrainian authorities. Two people died in the Donetsk region, and one person each was killed in the Kharkiv and Kherson regions. The deadly attack came shortly after the first direct peace talks in over three years were held between Russian and Ukrainian representatives. The talks took place in Istanbul and were led by Turkish officials. Although both sides discussed a possible meeting between their presidents and agreed on a prisoner swap, there was no breakthrough. A source told CNN that during the talks, “Russia demanded Ukraine give up land that is still under Ukrainian control.” Ukraine rejected this, and leaders from the UK, France, Germany, and Poland called Russia’s demands “unacceptable.” Neither Russian President Vladimir Putin nor Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky attended the meeting. Zelensky had previously said he would only meet directly with Putin. The Kremlin said on Saturday that a meeting between the two presidents could still happen. “Such a meeting is possible as a result of the work of the delegations of both sides in reaching certain agreements,” Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said. He added that Russia is preparing a list of conditions for a possible ceasefire, which will be sent to Ukraine. However, Ukraine and its allies continue to push for an unconditional ceasefire and blame Russia for delaying peace.