A Russian drone hit a bus evacuating civilians from a front-line area in Ukraine’s north-eastern Sumy region Saturday, killing nine people, Ukrainian officials said, hours after Moscow and Kyiv had held their first direct peace talks in years that failed to yield a ceasefire. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky condemned the strike as a deliberate assault on civilians and criticised Russia’s continued aggression despite Ukraine’s offer of an unconditional ceasefire.

In Bilopillia, a period of mourning was declared through Monday. Local community chief Yurii Zarko called the day “Black Saturday.” Russia claimed it targeted a military staging area in the region but did not acknowledge the drone strike.