A family was among nine people killed in a drone strike in the northeast of Ukraine, local authorities have said.
Saturday’s strike on a bus in Ukraine’s Sumy region showed Russia had no intention of ending the war, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky has said.
Newsweek has contacted the Russian Defense Ministry for comment.
Why It Matters
Following a fast-moving week of diplomacy in which Russian President Vladimir Putin turned down the opportunity to negotiate with Zelensky in Turkey, the drone strike killing civilians allows Kyiv to show the West the Russian leader has no intention of accepting a ceasefire.
What To Know
The Sumy Regional Military Administration reported on Telegram that at 6:17 a.m. local time Saturday, Russia launched a Lancet drone that hit a shuttle bus evacuating civilians from the city of Bilopillia.
Posting images of the destroyed vehicle, Zelensky confirmed that nine people were killed, all of whom were civilians.
Zelensky said that a father, mother and daughter died in the strike and that the Russians would have known what kind of vehicle they were targeting.
Head of Bilopillia, Yurii Zarko told Ukrainian news outlet Suspilne that some victims had not been identified and those who had been wounded were treated at the scene and transferred to hospital.
He said the identities of some of the dead have not yet been established and most were women of retirement age. He described it as a “black Saturday” in the city’s history and has declared three days of mourning.
“Russia retains nothing but the ability to continue killing,” said Zelensky in his X post which went to refer to talks in Istanbul on Friday had offered Moscow a chance to agree to a full and unconditional ceasefire.
Zelensky said pressure must be exerted on Russia to stop the killings through tougher sanctions from the United States, Europe and Kyiv’s partners.
Ukrainian authorities said that a total of 13 people across the country had been killed and 32 injured in attacks across the country over the previous 24 hours in regions including Donetsk, Kharkiv, Kherson and Dnipropetrovsk.
What People Are Saying
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky: “According to preliminary reports, the Russians killed a family: father, mother, and daughter died in the attack.
“The Russians could not have failed to understand what kind of vehicle they were targeting. This was a deliberate killing of civilians.”
What Happens Next
Russian drone strikes on Ukraine are likely to continue but the lack of diplomatic progress on ending the war has prompted President Donald Trump to warn the U.S. would impose sanctions on Russia if negotiations fail. Putin’s actions over the last few days do not point to him agreeing to a ceasefire.
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