KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — On Sunday, a Russian drone strike targeted a bus in the Ukrainian city of Dnipro, resulting in the deaths of at least a dozen mineworkers, according to Ukrainian authorities. This tragedy occurred mere hours after President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced upcoming peace talks between Russian and Ukrainian officials, scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday.
The drone strike not only claimed lives but also injured several individuals, igniting a fire that emergency services later extinguished. DTEK, Ukraine's largest private energy company which owned the bus, labeled the attack as a "large-scale terrorist attack on DTEK mines in the Dnipropetrovsk region," the administrative area of Dnipro.
In a Telegram post, DTEK confirmed that the bus was transporting miners returning home after their shifts and condemned the strike as an assault on energy sector workers. Denys Shmyhal, Ukraine's Energy Minister, described it as a "cynical and targeted attack," specifying that the incident occurred near the Ternivska mine located east of the city.
A few hours earlier, another attack using Russian drones injured six people at a maternity hospital in Zaporizhzhia, located in southern Ukraine. This attack further underscored the ongoing violence in the region, prompting urgent calls for relief.
Amid these assaults, Zelenskyy announced a shift in the schedule for negotiations in Abu Dhabi, where envoys from Russia, Ukraine, and the U.S. were expected to convene. Instead of meeting on Sunday, the discussions will now take place next week on February 4 and 5. In a Telegram post, Zelenskyy expressed Ukraine's readiness for substantive talks aimed at reaching a dignified end to the war.
U.S. and Russian officials have not yet commented on the rescheduled talks. On a related note, Kirill Dmitriev, Russia's chief envoy, mentioned having a "constructive meeting" with the U.S. peacemaking delegation in Florida preceding the events of the weekend.
The peace negotiations come amid a prolonged conflict that has existed for almost four years, with both Ukrainian and Russian representatives expressing a willingness to find common ground. However, fundamental disagreements remain, particularly surrounding the future status of occupied territories, especially in Ukraine's eastern industrial region known as the Donbas.
Earlier on Sunday, the drone strike on the maternity hospital resulted in injuries to three women, with the number later increasing to six. The regional administration also reported a fire in the gynecology reception area due to the attack. In the days leading up to the strike, the Kremlin confirmed that it had agreed to refrain from targeting Kyiv and other major cities to ease the hardships faced by the Ukrainian population amid freezing temperatures.
However, the violence continued, as evidenced by the recent drone assault that also claimed the lives of a man and woman in Dnipro as a result of overnight strikes. Moreover, additional attacks on Kherson resulted in serious injuries to civilians.
Russia's Defense Ministry reported on Sunday that its forces employed a range of military equipment, including operational-tactical aviation and artillery, to target Ukrainian transport infrastructure. Additionally, they claimed to have neutralized 21 Ukrainian drones over southwestern and western Russia, without mentioning any casualties or damages.
As the conflict unfolds, the plight of civilians continues, underscoring the pressing need for effective diplomatic interventions to bring about an end to the hostilities. With both sides preparing for talks, the international community watches closely as the situation evolves.
