Latest news with #IhorTkachenko
MTV Lebanon
17-05-2025
- Politics
- MTV Lebanon
Several killed after Russia strikes civilian bus in Ukraine
A Russian drone struck a bus with civilians in Ukraine's Sumy region, killing at least nine people and injuring four others, the head of the military administration of the region in Ukraine's northeast said on Saturday. The attack came hours after Russia and Ukraine held their first direct peace talks in three years. "Passengers have been injured," Ihor Tkachenko, head of Sumy's military administration, said on the Telegram messaging app. "Medics and rescuers have been urgently sent to the scene.'" "This is not just another shelling – it is a cynical war crime," Ukraine's National Police said in a post on the Telegram messaging app. Ihor Tkachenko, head of Sumy's military administration, said on Telegram that a rescue operation was under way. Ukraine's police posted photos showing the aftermath of the strike in Sumy's Bilopillia city, around 10 kilometres (6 miles) from the front line and border with Russia. Neither Reuters nor the Associated Press could independently verify the Ukrainian report and there was no comment from Moscow. A period of mourning has been declared in Bilopillia from Saturday through Monday, with local community chief Yurii Zarko calling the day of the attack 'Black Saturday'. The local media outlet Suspilne said the passengers on the bus were being evacuated from Bilopillia when the strike occurred. Authorities are working to identify the victims, most of them elderly women. The injured were taken to a hospital in Sumy, the regional capital. Three people were reported to be in serious condition. It wasn't immediately clear how the strike would affect peace efforts. Saturday's attack follows a meeting of Russian and Ukrainian officials in Turkey on Friday, which failed to broker a temporary ceasefire. It was the first direct dialogue between the two sides since the early months of the war that Russia launched in February 2022. After the talks, Kyiv said it was seeking an "unconditional ceasefire" to pause the conflict, which has destroyed large swathes of Ukraine and displaced millions of people. But Moscow has consistently rebuffed those calls and the only concrete agreement appeared to be a deal to exchange 1,000 prisoners each. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he discussed the talks with US President Donald Trump and the leaders of France, Germany, the UK and Poland. In a post on X from a European leadership meeting in Albania, he urged 'tough sanctions' against Moscow if it rejects 'a full and unconditional ceasefire and an end to killings'. 'Pressure on Russia must be maintained until Russia is ready to end the war,' Zelensky said on X, posting a photo of the leaders during the call, the second for the group since May 10. Both sides deny targeting civilians in their attacks, but thousands have died in the conflict, the vast majority of them Ukrainians.
Dubai Eye
17-05-2025
- Politics
- Dubai Eye
Russian bus attack kills 9, Ukraine says
A Russian drone hit a bus, killing nine people and injuring four more in the region of Sumy, Ukrainian officials said on Saturday, in an attack that took place hours after Moscow and Kyiv held their first direct peace talks in years. "This is not just another shelling - it is a cynical war crime," Ukraine's National Police said in a post on the Telegram messaging app. Russia's TASS state news agency reported, citing a statement from the defence ministry, that Russian forces struck a Ukrainian military equipment staging area in the Sumy region with drones. The meeting of Russian and Ukrainian officials in Turkey on Friday failed to broker a temporary ceasefire. It was the first direct dialogue between the two sides since the early months of the war that Russia launched in February 2022. Ihor Tkachenko, head of Sumy's military administration, said on Telegram that a rescue operation was under way. Ukraine's police posted photos of a dark blue passenger van nearly destroyed, with the roof torn off and the windows blown out. Reuters could not independently verify the Ukrainian and Russian reports. Both sides deny targeting civilians in their attacks, but thousands have died in the conflict, the vast majority of them Ukrainians.
SBS Australia
17-05-2025
- Politics
- SBS Australia
At least nine killed in Russian attack on civilian bus in Ukraine, officials say
A Russian drone hit a bus, killing nine people and injuring four more in the region of Sumy, Ukrainian officials said, in an attack that took place hours after Russia and Ukraine held their first direct peace talks in years . "This is not just another shelling — it is a cynical war crime," Ukraine's National Police said in a post on the Telegram messaging app. Ihor Tkachenko, head of Sumy's military administration, said on Telegram that a rescue operation was underway. The meeting of Russian and Ukrainian officials in Turkey on Friday failed to broker a temporary ceasefire. It was the first direct dialogue between the two sides since the early months of the war that Russia launched in February 2022 when it invaded its neighbour. Ukraine's police posted photos of a dark blue passenger van nearly destroyed, with the roof torn off and the windows blown out. Reuters could not independently verify the Ukrainian report There was no immediate comment from Moscow. Both sides deny targeting civilians in their attacks, but thousands have died in the conflict, the vast majority of them Ukrainians. This is a developing story and this article will be updated.
Daily Mail
17-05-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Putin marks end of peace talks by killing nine Ukrainian civilians in drone strike on minibus - as Trump still insists Russian strongman is 'tired' of war
At least nine Ukrainians were killed and more wounded in a savage Russian drone strike on a civilian minibus early Saturday that took place just hours after Moscow and Kyiv held their first direct peace talks in Turkey. The mangled remains of the blue bus were seen on the road at Bilopillia in the region of Sumy. At least five civilians were also wounded, including the bus driver. 'The occupiers targeted a bus carrying civilians,' said Ukrainian National Police in a Telegram post. 'This is not just another shelling - it is a cynical war crime. 'The Russian army has again struck a civilian object, disregarding all norms of international law and humanity.' Ihor Tkachenko, head of Sumy's military administration, said on Telegram that a rescue operation was under way. Ukraine's police posted photos of a dark blue passenger van nearly destroyed, with the roof torn off and the windows blown out. Russia's TASS state news agency reported, citing a statement from the defence ministry, that Russian forces struck a Ukrainian military equipment staging area in the Sumy region with drones. A period of mourning has been declared in Bilopillia from Saturday through Monday, with local community chief Yurii Zarko calling the day of the attack 'Black Saturday.' The local media outlet Suspilne said the passengers on the bus were being evacuated from Bilopillia when the strike occurred. Authorities are working to identify some of the victims, most of them elderly women. The injured were taken to a hospital in Sumy, the regional capital. Three people were reported to be in serious condition. The Ukrainian town is less than five miles from the Russian border and has been partially evacuated. It comes after the meeting of Russian and Ukrainian officials in Istanbul failed to broker a temporary ceasefire. It wasn't immediately clear how the strike would affect peace efforts Friday's meeting was the first direct dialogue between the two sides since the early months of the bloody war Russia launched in February 2022. While both sides agreed on a large prisoner swap, they clearly remained far apart on key conditions for ending the fighting. One such condition for Ukraine, backed by its Western allies, is a temporary ceasefire as a first step toward a peaceful settlement. The Kremlin has pushed back against such a truce, which remains elusive. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he discussed the talks with US President Donald Trump and the leaders of France, Germany, the U.K. and Poland. In a post on X he urged 'tough sanctions' against Moscow if it rejects 'a full and unconditional ceasefire and an end to killings.' Trump yesterday vowed to impose sanctions on Moscow if negotiations fail. 'Honestly, I will [impose sanctions], if we're not gonna make a deal,' he told Fox News' Bret Baier. 'This is turkey time, we're talking turkey, and we'll see what happens. 'This would be crushing for Russia because they're having a hard time now with the economy, oil prices are low.' But despite strong doubts in Ukraine and Europe, Trump said he believed Putin was ready to negotiate. The US president said: 'Putin is at the table…. 'He wanted this meeting [in Istanbul]. 'I think Putin is tired of this whole thing. And he's not looking good, and he wants to look good.' However,Trump said he was the only one who could strong-arm Putin to a deal. 'I always felt there can't be a meeting without me because I don't think a deal's going to get through... 'There's a lot of hatred on both sides.'
Al Jazeera
17-05-2025
- Politics
- Al Jazeera
Ukraine says Russian drone attack on bus kills 9, hours after direct talks
A Russian drone strike on a civilian bus has killed nine people, says Ukraine, with the attack coming hours after the two countries held their first direct peace talks in years. Four others were injured in the attack in Ukraine's northeastern region of Sumy, officials said on Saturday, as Russia's Ministry of Defence said it had targeted Ukrainian military equipment. 'This is not just another shelling – it is a cynical war crime,' Ukraine's National Police said in a post on Telegram messaging app, which featured photos of the badly damaged vehicle. Ihor Tkachenko, head of Sumy's military administration, said on Telegram that a rescue operation was under way. Russia's TASS news agency, citing a statement from the Defence Ministry, said Russian drones had struck a Ukrainian military equipment staging area in Sumy. The strike came shortly after Russian and Ukrainian officials met in Istanbul on Friday to broker a temporary ceasefire. The 90-minute talks failed to reach a breakthrough, but ended with both sides agreeing to swap 1,000 prisoners in what would be the largest such exchange since the start of the war in 2022. Vladimir Medinsky, the lead Russian negotiator, expressed satisfaction with the talks and said Moscow was ready for further negotiations, including on a ceasefire. 'We have agreed that all sides will present their views on a possible ceasefire and set them out in detail,' he said after the meeting. A source in the Ukrainian delegation told Reuters news agency that Russia's demands were 'detached from reality and go far beyond anything that was previously discussed'. The source told the agency Moscow had issued ultimatums for Ukraine to withdraw from parts of its own territory to get a ceasefire, 'and other non-starters'. Al Jazeera's Zein Basravi, reporting from Kyiv, said Medinsky had sent a clear message during the negotiations that Moscow was ready to continue the war for years – and had no problem in continuing to conduct the war at the same time as it held talks. 'And that is exactly what they have done,' said Basravi.
