Nine people were killed in a Russian drone attack on a civilian bus in northeastern Ukraine, local officials said.
The Sumy regional military administration said four more people were injured in the town of Bilopillia on Saturday morning as the bus traveled towards the regional capital Sumy, near the Russian border, the BBC reported.
The reported attack came just hours after Russia and Ukraine held their first direct peace talks since 2022. No progress was made, although an exchange of prisoners of war was agreed.
The Ukrainian National Police described the attack on the bus as a “cynical war crime”. Russia did not comment directly, but said it had hit a “military gathering place” in Sumy.
Citing preliminary information, Sumy regional chief Oleh Hryhorov said the bus was hit by a Russian Lancet drone on Saturday at 06:17 local time. He described the attack as “inhumane”.
Ukraine used the Sumy to launch an offensive in Russia’s Kursk region in August last year. Russia pushed out most Ukrainian troops earlier this year and has stepped up cross-border artillery and airstrikes in recent months.
