At least nine killed in a Russian attack on a bus in Ukraine

Ukrainian authorities reported that a Russian attack on a minibus carrying civilians in northern Ukraine killed nine people and wounded four others.

The attack occurred just hours after the first direct talks between Ukrainians and Russians in three years, which, however, ended without an agreement on a truce.

On Saturday, the military administration of the Sumi region, near the Russian border, condemned what it called “a cynical attack by the Russians on a bus carrying civilians.”

On its Telegram account, the administration posted images showing the wreckage of a minibus on the road. “An enemy drone bombed a bus near Bilopilia, killing nine people and injuring four,” the post stated.

The Sumi region has been experiencing intensified Russian shelling since Ukrainian forces were pushed out of the neighboring Russian region of Kursk in March—a territory they had partially occupied since the summer of 2024.

Meeting in Istanbul on Friday for their first direct talks since March 2022, Russian and Ukrainian representatives agreed on a major prisoner exchange of “1,000 for 1,000,” according to Russian negotiator Vladimir Medinsky.

However, the meeting ended without a ceasefire, which Ukraine and its allies had prioritized.

“Both sides must now clearly outline their vision for this potential truce,” Medinsky said in a brief comment to reporters.