Nine civilians killed in Russian bombing of bus in northern Ukraine | Ukraine

On Saturday, a Russian drone attack targeted a minibus carrying civilians in Ukraine’s northern Sumy region, resulting in the deaths of nine people, local military authorities reported. The incident occurred near Bilopillya while the bus was heading towards Sumy and was allegedly carried out by Russian forces. Four individuals were reportedly injured in the attack. The strike came shortly after the first direct peace talks between Kyiv and Moscow since 2022, which took place in Istanbul and failed to yield significant progress. Russia and Ukraine did agree to a prisoner exchange but not a ceasefire, with both sides committing to discuss the possibility of a truce. Post-talks, Kyiv reiterated its call for an “unconditional ceasefire” to halt the conflict, which has caused widespread destruction and displacement. Moscow has refused such calls, and the sole concrete agreement reached was the exchange of 1,000 prisoners from each side. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy renewed calls for sanctions against Moscow should it decline a ceasefire and suspend hostilities Russian and US leadership have shown support for a potential meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Zelenskyy, as well as discussions between Putin and US President Joe Biden, regarding the conflict.

Source: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/may/17/russian-strike-on-civilian-bus-in-northern-ukraine-kills-nine