A deadly incident occurred in Ukraine’s southeastern Dnipropetrovsk region when a bus carrying miners was targeted by a Russian drone, resulting in the loss of fifteen lives and injuring seven individuals, as confirmed by energy firm DTEK and government sources on Sunday.
The attack took place following Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s announcement of upcoming U.S.-brokered trilateral talks between Ukraine and Russia.
DTEK issued a statement accusing Russian forces of conducting a significant terrorist attack on a company mine in the region, leading to casualties among its employees who were returning from work.
Energy Minister Denys Shmyhal condemned the attack as a cynical and deliberate strike on energy sector workers in the Dnipropetrovsk region.
Authorities reported the incident in the city of Ternivka.
Footage released by the State Emergencies Service revealed a burnt bus with broken windows that had veered off the road.
Simultaneously, in southern Ukraine, two individuals lost their lives in a drone strike on a residential building in Dnipro, with at least nine others sustaining injuries in Russian assaults on a maternity hospital and another residential structure in Zaporizhzhia.
These strikes followed statements by Zelenskyy indicating that Russia, despite pledging to cease attacks on Ukrainian energy infrastructure until February 1, continued targeting logistics within Ukraine.
Russia-Ukraine talks scheduled for next week
Zelenskyy disclosed that the upcoming U.S.-backed trilateral talks involving Ukraine and Russia would occur in Abu Dhabi next week amid concerns over the energy ceasefire’s status with Russia during severe winter conditions.
Kyiv faces pressure to secure peace in the long-standing conflict while dealing with Russian airstrikes that have severely impacted the energy system during harsh winter weather.
The initial round of discussions in late January yielded no progress on territorial issues, with Moscow persisting on Kyiv ceding more land in the war-torn east, a demand Ukraine rejects.
Zelenskyy announced that the new talks are scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday, expressing readiness for a meaningful dialogue to work towards a genuine and dignified end to the conflict.
“Ukraine is prepared for substantial discussions, aiming for a resolution that brings us closer to a definitive and honorable conclusion to the war,” Zelenskyy stated on the social media platform X.
Efforts to restore power intensify
In Kyiv, Mayor Vitali Klitschko reported that 1,000 apartment buildings remained without heating on Sunday, with workers rushing to restore heating services to hundreds of affected high-rises following a widespread grid malfunction on Saturday.
The city experienced temperatures around –15 C on Sunday, with forecasts predicting even colder weather below –20 C on Monday.
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