Nine civilians lost their lives when a Russian drone struck a minibus in Ukraine’s Sumy region on Saturday, local authorities reported.
The Sumy military administration labelled the incident a deliberate targeting of non-combatants and shared the grim news on Telegram, including an image of a destroyed blue van torn apart by the blast.
The death toll, initially reported as eight, was later updated to nine. Four individuals were wounded in the explosion, which occurred near Bilopillya as the bus made its way toward Sumy.
The attack coincided with a fragile diplomatic development, direct talks between Russia and Ukraine held in Istanbul for the first time in nearly three years.
Although the session produced an agreement for a mutual exchange of 1,000 prisoners, it failed to secure a truce.
Kyiv called for an immediate ceasefire to stem the war’s devastation, but Russia remained unmoved.
Despite the lack of a breakthrough, Ukrainian Defence Minister Rustem Umerov expressed hope that a future meeting between Zelensky and Putin could help advance peace efforts.
Meanwhile, both the Kremlin and the White House have hinted at the possibility of a dialogue involving President Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump to address the broader conflict.