Nine civilians killed in ‘drone attack’ on bus as Ukraine accuses Russia of ‘cynical war crime’
A Russian attack on a civilian bus in Ukraine’s northeast Sumy region has killed nine people and injured four more, the Ukrainian military has said.
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The Sumy regional head said preliminary information indicates the passenger bus was hit by a Russian Lancet drone at 06:17am local time (03:17am GMT) on Saturday morning.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has called the attack "a deliberate killing of civilians."
Zelensky said on X: "There are currently seven wounded people in hospitals following a Russian drone strike on an ordinary passenger bus. The victims have suffered burns, fractures, and blast injuries."
"Tragically, nine people were killed. All the details are being verified."
"According to preliminary reports, the Russians killed a family: father, mother, and daughter died in the attack. My condolences to all the families and loved ones. All the deceased were civilians."
He offered his condolences to the families and loved ones of the victims.
In the post on X, the Ukrainian president also called for tougher sanctions on Russia, saying "without stronger pressure, Russia will not seek real diplomacy."
"We are expecting strong sanctions against Russia from the United States, from Europe, and from all our partners."
UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy said on a post on X he was "appalled" by Russia's attack, "mere hours after talks in Türkiye."
The Sumy regional military administration said seven other people have been injured in the town of Bilopillia, also in the Sumy region.
Ukrainian National Police responded to the deaths on the Telegram messaging app: "This is not just another shelling - it is a cynical war crime".
The police service said: "The Russian army has once again struck a civilian object, disregarding all norms or international law and humanity."
The Sumy regional military administration posted photos on their Telegram channel of a severely damaged dark blue passenger van, with the roof torn off and the windows blown out.
The bus was travelling to Sumy, the regional capital which lies close to the border with Russia.
Russia’s TASS state news agency said the defence ministry had claimed Russian forces struck a Ukrainian military equipment staging area in the Sumy region with drones.
Russia has not commented directly on the bus attack.
A Telegram message on the Sumy regional military administration channel said May 17 and 18 have been declared Days of Mourning in the region. The order was signed by the head of Sumy, Oleg Hrygorov.
Flags in the region will be lowered to half-mast on the administrative buildings of executive bodies and local self-government bodies, enterprises, institutions and organisations as a sign of mourning for the deceased.
The order also recommends cancelling sporting and entertainment events and limiting the broadcast of entertainment programmes on regional television and radio.
The attacks follow the first direct peace talks between the two sides since the war began, in Istanbul on Thursday and Friday, where the two sides agreed an exchange of prisoners but failed to reach a temporary ceasefire agreement.
Russian President Vladimir Putin did not attend the talks in person, instead sending a low-level delegation.
Zelensky has said on X of the Russian president's failure to attend the talks: "Yesterday in Istanbul, everyone saw a weak and unprepared Russian delegation without a meaningful mandate."
This is a breaking news story. More to follow.