A Russian drone attack on a bus transporting miners in Ukraine’s southeastern Dnipropetrovsk region resulted in the deaths of fifteen individuals and left seven others injured, as confirmed by energy company DTEK and government authorities on Sunday.
The assault occurred shortly after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced plans for a second round of U.S.-mediated trilateral discussions involving Ukraine and Russia, set to occur the following week.
DTEK released a statement alleging that Russian military forces conducted a “significant terrorist strike” on one of the company’s mines in the region, with all the casualties being employees returning from their work shift.
“Today, the enemy carried out a cynical and deliberate attack on energy sector workers in the Dnipropetrovsk region,” stated Energy Minister Denys Shmyhal via the Telegram messaging app.
Authorities indicated that the incident took place in the city of Ternivka.
Footage released by the State Emergencies Service depicted a burnt bus with broken windows that had veered off the road.
Meanwhile, in southeastern Ukraine, two individuals lost their lives in a drone strike on a residential building in Dnipro, with at least nine people sustaining injuries in separate Russian attacks on a maternity hospital and another residential structure in Zaporizhzhia.
These attacks followed statements by Zelenskyy earlier in the day indicating that although Russia had pledged to cease targeting Ukrainian energy infrastructure until February 1, they were continuing to focus on logistical operations within Ukraine.
Russia-Ukraine negotiations scheduled for the upcoming week
Zelenskyy disclosed on Sunday that U.S.-backed trilateral discussions involving Ukraine and Russia are to be held in Abu Dhabi next week, amid concerns over the status of an energy ceasefire with Russia during severe winter conditions.
Kyiv faces pressure from the U.S. to secure peace in the long-standing conflict while dealing with Russian airstrikes that have severely impacted its energy system amidst harsh winter weather.
The initial round of talks in late January did not lead to any progress on territorial disputes, with Moscow persisting in its demand for Kyiv to cede additional land in the war-torn eastern region, a proposition that Ukraine rejects.
Zelenskyy confirmed that the upcoming talks are scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday, expressing Ukraine’s readiness for a meaningful dialogue to work towards a genuine and honorable resolution to the conflict.
“Ukraine is prepared for substantive discussions, and we aim for an outcome that moves us closer to a tangible and dignified conclusion to the war,” Zelenskyy stated on the social media platform X.
Efforts to restore power underway
In Kyiv, approximately 1,000 residential buildings remained without heating on Sunday, as Mayor Vitali Klitschko highlighted the ongoing efforts to restore heating services amidst a severe cold spell affecting a significant portion of the country.
With temperatures around -15 degrees Celsius in the city on Sunday, workers raced against time to reinstate heating in hundreds of the nearly 3,500 high-rise buildings