Ukrainian officials report that a Russian drone attack on Saturday struck a passenger bus, resulting in the deaths of nine individuals and injuries to four others.

This incident occurred mere hours after Russian and Ukrainian representatives engaged in their first direct peace talks in several years. These discussions, however, failed to produce a ceasefire agreement to halt the conflict initiated by Moscow’s invasion in February 2022.

The Ukrainian national police have released images depicting the aftermath of the strike in Bilopillia, a city in the Sumy region approximately six miles from the Russian border and the front lines.

The Sumy regional administration condemned the attack on Telegram, labeling it “another war crime by Russia — a deliberate strike on civilian transport that posed no threat.”

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy echoed this sentiment, characterizing the attack as a “deliberate killing of civilians.”

Bilopillia has declared a mourning period from Saturday to Monday. Local community leader Yurii Zarko described the day of the attack as “Black Saturday.”

According to the local media outlet Suspilne, the passengers on the bus were being evacuated from Bilopillia when the drone hit. Authorities are working to identify the victims, with the majority being elderly women.

The injured were taken to a hospital in Sumy, the regional capital. Three are reported to be in serious condition.

Earlier on Saturday, Russia’s defense ministry claimed its forces targeted a military staging area in the Sumy region, roughly 31 miles southeast of Bilopillia, but made no mention of other attacks in the region.

The impact of the strike on ongoing peace efforts remains unclear.

On Friday, Russian and Ukrainian officials convened in Turkey to attempt to negotiate a temporary ceasefire, but the talks concluded in under two hours without an agreement. These negotiations marked the first face-to-face discussions between the two nations since the early stages of the war.

While both sides agreed to a significant prisoner exchange, they remained divided on key conditions.

Ukraine, with the support of its Western allies, seeks a temporary ceasefire as an initial step toward a peaceful resolution. Russia, however, has resisted this truce.

In Turkey, Russia and Ukraine reportedly agreed to exchange 1,000 prisoners of war each, which would represent their largest exchange to date, according to delegation leaders. They also discussed a ceasefire and a potential meeting between their heads of state, according to the chief Ukrainian delegate, Defense Minister Rustem Umerov.

According to an aide to Russian President Vladimir Putin, both parties also consented to provide detailed ceasefire proposals to one another, with Ukraine requesting the meeting of heads of state be a key part of it.

Zelenskyy stated that he discussed the negotiations with U.S. President Donald Trump and the leaders of France, Germany, the U.K. and Poland. On X, he advocated for “tough sanctions” against Moscow should it reject “a full and unconditional ceasefire and an end to killings.”

Zelenskyy was in Tirana, Albania, on Friday, attending a meeting with leaders from 47 European countries to address security, defense, and democratic standards. Attendees included French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer, and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk.

“Pressure on Russia must be maintained until Russia is ready to end the war,” Zelenskyy posted on X.

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