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Editor's note: This is a developing story and is being updated.
Russia launched a drone strike in Sumy Oblast in the early morning of May 17, killing nine people and injuring seven more.
The drone targeted a shuttle bus that was transporting civilians near the city of Bilopillia at 6:17 a.m. local time, the Sumy Regional Military Administration reported on Telegram.
Sumy Oblast is a northeastern region that borders Russia's Kursk, Belgorod, and Bryansk oblasts.
Yurii Zarko, head of Bilopillia, called the day "a black Saturday" in the city's history and declared three days of mourning from May 17 to 19.
"This bus was carrying people out of the city for evacuation," Zarko told Suspilne. "The wounded were treated at the scene and then transferred to a hospital in Sumy. We are currently retrieving the bodies. Some victims have not yet been identified. Most of them are elderly women, along with two or three men."
Emergency services and police are currently working at the scene.
In a statement later on May 17, President Zelensky confirmed that all nine of the victims were civilians and said a family was among those killed.
"According to preliminary information, the Russians killed a family: a father, mother, and daughter died in the strike," Zelensky said. "The Russians could not have failed to know what kind of vehicle they were targeting."
He said seven people remained hospitalized with burns, fractures, and concussions, but were receiving appropriate care.
Zelensky also urged for stronger international pressure on Russia following the collapse of peace talks in Istanbul earlier this week.
"Yesterday, like on any day of this war, there was a chance to stop the fire. Ukraine has long proposed a full and unconditional ceasefire to save lives," he said. "Russia preserves only one thing — its ability to keep killing."
Kyiv and its allies have proposed an unconditional 30-day ceasefire beginning on May 12 as a first step toward peace — a proposal that Russia has so far ignored.
Local residents in Sumy Oblast often experience multiple attacks per day, with border areas suffering from artillery and glide bomb strikes, and the regional center of Sumy coming under missile and drone strikes.
Most recently, Russia has been deploying small assault groups to infiltrate the region in a bid to expand the front line.
The latest attack on Sumy follows recent peace talks in Istanbul, where Russia rejected a ceasefire and reiterated its maximalist demands in the war against Ukraine.
Volodymyr Ivanyshyn
