Nine Killed in Russian Drone Strike on Civilian Bus in Ukraine’s Sumy Region
A Russian drone strike has killed nine civilians and injured four others after hitting a passenger bus in the northeastern Ukrainian town of Bilopillia on Saturday morning, according to Ukrainian authorities.
The Sumy regional military administration confirmed the attack occurred at approximately 06:17 local time (03:17 GMT) as the bus was en route to the city of Sumy, near the Russian border.
Ukraine’s National Police have condemned the strike as a “cynical war crime,” accusing the Russian military of once again targeting civilian infrastructure in defiance of international law.
In a statement, police said, “The Russian army has once again struck a civilian object, disregarding all norms of international law and humanity.”
Sumy regional head Oleh Hryhorov revealed that the bus was struck by a Russian Lancet drone—a loitering munition designed to hover over targets before striking with precision. He described the attack as “inhumane.”
The tragedy unfolded just hours after Russia and Ukraine concluded their first direct peace talks since 2022. Though the talks—held in Istanbul—yielded no major breakthroughs, both sides agreed to a mutual exchange of 1,000 prisoners of war in the coming days.
Russia has not directly addressed the bus strike but claimed to have targeted a “military staging area” in the Sumy region.
The ongoing war, which began with Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022, has seen intense fighting across eastern Ukraine. Ukraine had previously used Sumy as a launching ground for offensives into Russia’s nearby Kursk region. In response, Moscow has intensified its cross-border aerial and artillery attacks in recent months.
This latest incident underscores the enduring toll the conflict continues to take on civilians, even as diplomatic efforts attempt to find a path to peace.
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Nine Killed in Russian Drone Strike on Civilian Bus in Ukraine’s Sumy Region