Nine civilians have been killed and four others wounded after a Russian drone struck a passenger bus in the north-eastern Ukrainian town of Bilopillia on Saturday morning, according to local authorities.

The Sumy regional military administration confirmed the fatalities, stating that emergency services, medics and police were at the scene providing aid and investigating the incident.

The attack came just hours after Russia and Ukraine held their first direct peace talks since the start of the full-scale invasion in 2022.

While no major breakthrough emerged from Friday’s discussions in Istanbul, both sides reportedly agreed to exchange 1,000 prisoners of war in the coming days – a rare gesture of cooperation amid continuing hostilities.

Ukrainian officials have condemned the drone strike as further evidence that Moscow is not negotiating in good faith.

President Volodymyr Zelensky has repeatedly insisted that any peace deal must include a full Russian withdrawal from all occupied territories, while the Kremlin continues to demand recognition of its annexations in eastern Ukraine.

The drone strike in Bilopillia is one of the deadliest such incidents targeting civilian infrastructure in recent weeks and highlights the fragile state of ceasefire efforts, even amid tentative diplomatic outreach.

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