A recent Russian drone attack on a civilian minibus in northeastern Ukraine’s Sumy region has resulted in the deaths of nine people, with seven others injured. The attack occurred on Saturday morning in the town of Bilopillia, as the minibus was traveling to the regional capital near Russia’s border. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky condemned the attack, calling it “a deliberate killing of civilians”. He further emphasized that Russian forces “could not help but understand what kind of vehicle they were hitting”.
Oleh Hryhorov, the Sumy regional head, described the attack as “inhumane” and stated that a Russian Lancet drone hit the bus at 06:17 local time. This incident comes just hours after Russia and Ukraine held their first direct peace talks since 2022 in Istanbul, Turkey. Although no breakthrough was achieved, both parties agreed to exchange 1,000 prisoners of war.
Key Developments:
- Peace Talks: Russia and Ukraine’s peace talks ended without a breakthrough, but a prisoner swap was agreed upon.
- Russian Attacks: Russia carried out drone strikes across the Sumy region earlier this week, killing three people and injuring nine others.
- Ukrainian Counterattacks: Ukrainian drones reportedly struck an ammunition depot in Crimea, causing the detonation of warehouses storing military equipment, weapons, and fuel.
- International Reactions: US President Donald Trump believes progress on ending the war can only be made if he and Putin hold face-to-face talks, stating “nothing’s going to happen until Putin and I get together”. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio also suggests that a breakthrough in Ukraine peace talks requires direct talks between Trump and Putin.