[Source: BBC]
Nine people have been killed in a Russian drone strike on a passenger bus in north-eastern Ukraine, local officials say.
The Sumy regional military administration said four other people were injured in the town of Bilopillia on Saturday morning.
Medics, emergency services personnel and police are now working at the scene.
The reported attack comes just hours after Russia and Ukraine held their first direct peace talks since 2022.
In a post on Telegram, the Sumy regional military administration said: “As a result of an enemy drone hitting a commuter bus near Bilopillya, nine people were killed and four injured.”
It added that the bus was heading towards the regional capital Sumy.
In a video message, Sumy regional head Oleh Hryhorov described the Russian attack as “inhumane”.
Citing preliminary information, he said the bus was hit by a Russian Lancet drone at 06:17 local time on Saturday (03:17 GMT).
The Russian military has not commented on the issue.
Friday’s talks in Istanbul, Turkey, did not lead to any breakthrough as Ukraine and Russia remain far apart on how to end the war.
However, it was agreed that each side would return 1,000 prisoners of war to the other in the coming days.
Russian President Vladimir Putin launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
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