Putin unleashes drones on civilian bus, killing nine, after end of ceasefire talks

Vladimir Putin unleashed a drone on a civilian bus in the region of Sumy hours after the end of the first direct talks between Russia and Ukraine since the early weeks of the war.

Nine people were killed and four others wounded in the northeastern city of Bilopillia, local officials said.

‘This is not just another shelling – it is a cynical war crime,’ the Ukrainian National Police said in a post on Telegram.

‘The Russian army has once again struck a civilian object, disregarding all norms of international law and humanity.’

Evacuation of residents is ongoing in Bilopillia, which is located near the border with Russia, due to intensified shelling.

Masses of civilians have been fleeing the surrounding towns and villages as enemy forces push forward.

Russia’s TASS state news agency reported that Russian forces had struck a Ukrainian military equipment staging area in the region with drones.

Pictures shared by Ukrainian police show a dark blue passenger van nearly destroyed, with the roof torn off and the windows blown out.

The blast came hours after Russia and Ukraine concluded their first direct talks in almost three years in Istanbul, but without a breakthrough.

The two sides agreed a large-scale prisoner exchange but no ceasefire, saying instead that they would commit to trading ideas on a possible truce.

Foreign ministry spokesman Heorhii Tykhyi described as making the talks ‘worth it, because we will make a thousand Ukrainian families happy.’

But the rest of the negotiations were clouded by a number of demands that Ukrainians found unacceptable, including that Ukraine withdraws from its own territory that Russia only partly controls.

After the talks, Ukraine said it was seeking an ‘unconditional ceasefire’ to pause the war, now in its fourth year.

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