Deadly bus attack sparks Zelensky’s call for tougher sanctions on Russia

Nine civilians have been reportedly killed in Ukraine following a Russian drone strike on a minibus, on Saturday, May 17, 2025.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy described this attack as a deliberate targeting of non-combatants and used it as a call for stricter sanctions on Moscow.

The attack, which occurred Saturday morning in the Sumy region, specifically targeted a vehicle evacuating civilians from Bilopillya.

Bilopillya is a town near the frontlines that has been repeatedly hit by Russian forces.

According to local officials, most of the victims were elderly women. Four additional passengers sustained injuries in the assault.

The drone used in the strike was identified as at least one Lancet model, a type of loitering munition often employed by Russian forces.

The strike took place around 6 a.m. as the bus was heading toward the regional capital, Sumy.

Images from the aftermath showed the bus heavily damaged, with its roof blown off by the blast.

The attack happened just hours after the first face-to-face peace talks between Russia and Ukraine since 2022 ended inconclusively in Istanbul, with no meaningful progress toward a ceasefire.

President Zelenskyy condemned the attack in a message posted on X, stating,

“All the deceased were civilians.

“And the Russians could not have failed to understand what kind of vehicle they were targeting.

“This was a deliberate killing of civilians,” he added.

He further emphasized the need for greater international pressure on Russia, warning that without stronger sanctions, Moscow would not be motivated to engage in genuine diplomacy.

“Pressure must be exerted on Russia to stop the killings,” he said.

Local authorities have declared three days of mourning in Bilopillya.

Yurii Zarko, the head of the town’s administration, told the Ukrainian news site Suspilne that the bus was part of daily evacuation efforts that had been ongoing since May 5, due to relentless shelling in the area.

The residents of Bilopillya and the nearby town of Vorozhba, both located roughly 10 kilometers (about 6 miles) from the frontline, had been advised to evacuate.

Zarko reported that the wounded received treatment at the scene before being transferred to a hospital in Sumy.

Some of the deceased have not yet been identified.

The Russian state news agency Tass, citing the country’s defense ministry, claimed that the drone strike had targeted a Ukrainian military equipment staging area in the region.

This contradicts the Ukrainian account, which maintains that the attack was clearly aimed at a civilian evacuation vehicle.

The drone strike underscored the stark challenges facing the peace process.

Saturday’s peace talks in Istanbul – the first direct meeting between Kyiv and Moscow in nearly three years, resulted in a limited agreement to exchange prisoners of war, with each side agreeing to release 1,000 individuals.

However, no truce was reached.

Ukrainian officials reiterated their desire for an “unconditional ceasefire” to halt the war, which has caused immense destruction across the country and displaced millions.

Despite Ukraine’s push for peace, Russian negotiators presented a set of demands seen as obstacles to further discussions.

These included the withdrawal of Ukrainian forces from five regions, some of which are not currently under Russian control.

The Russian delegation insisted that any ceasefire would only follow such a withdrawal, complicating the chances for immediate progress.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov refused to confirm these demands.

However, he acknowledged that before any new talks could be scheduled, both sides must first implement the prisoner swap and outline their respective ceasefire proposals.

He also raised a new issue, questioning the legitimacy of whoever would sign any future agreement on Ukraine’s behalf, hinting at Moscow’s reluctance to recognize President Zelenskyy’s authority in this context.

Russia’s top negotiator, Vladimir Medinsky, said both sides would next present their ideas on a possible ceasefire, without specifying a timeline.

Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin did not attend the talks he had initially called for, drawing criticism for what many saw as an insincere posture toward ending the war.

In a broader reaction to the developments, French President Emmanuel Macron, accused Putin of “cynicism” regarding the peace process and ongoing violence.

President Macron was speaking from Tirana where he met with other European leaders including UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

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