Russian drone strike kills nine in Ukraine's Bilopillia
- A Russian drone struck a passenger bus in Bilopillia, northeastern Ukraine, early in the morning.
- Nine people have been reported killed due to the drone attack, while four others sustained injuries.
- The attack is condemned as a war crime, occurring shortly after peace talks between Ukraine and Russia.
On May 17, 2025, a tragic incident occurred in Bilopillia, a town in northeastern Ukraine, when a Russian drone struck a civilian bus early in the morning. The drone hit the bus en route to the regional capital, Sumy, resulting in the deaths of nine individuals, with four others sustaining injuries. Local officials confirmed the attack, labeling it an inhumane act, especially as it took place just hours after direct peace talks between Russia and Ukraine. The Sumy regional military administration and Ukrainian national police condemned the attack as a deliberate strike on civilian transport, describing it as a war crime. The drone strike happened at approximately 6:17 AM local time, prompting immediate responses from emergency services. According to various reports, the victims were primarily elderly individuals, and many were women. The injured were transported to a local hospital, where several were reported to be in critical condition. In the aftermath of the attack, a mourning period was declared in Bilopillia, and local authorities expressed deep sorrow over the loss of life, emphasizing the attack's tragic nature underlining the ongoing conflict in the region. This drone strike followed a failed peace negotiation round held in Istanbul, where representatives from both countries met for direct talks for the first time in years. Unfortunately, the talks did not yield any significant breakthroughs, particularly concerning ceasefire agreements, which remain elusive due to differing demands from both sides. Ukrainian officials reported that the discussions, aimed at negotiating a temporary ceasefire and a prisoner exchange, were overshadowed by this attack. Both sides had agreed to exchange 1,000 prisoners of war, highlighting the ongoing humanitarian issues in the war-torn region. As sentiments ran high, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy expressed outrage over the attack, calling for more stringent actions against Russia and greater international pressure to secure peace. The drone strike not only escalated the ongoing tensions but raised concerns about how this act of violence might affect future negotiations. Observers noted that the ongoing conflict had increased civilian casualties, emphasizing the need for a robust international response to such incidents to prevent further loss of life and preserve human rights in the region.