Russian Drone Strike on Worker Bus Kills Nine in Ukraine Amid Widespread Attacks on Civilian Infrastructure

 Kyiv, April 23, 2025 — A Russian drone strike on Wednesday morning targeted a bus transporting workers in the Ukrainian city of Marhanets, killing at least nine people and injuring dozens more, Ukrainian officials confirmed. The incident formed part of a broader wave of coordinated overnight attacks on civilian infrastructure across eastern, southern, and central Ukraine.

The full scope of the strikes—described by Ukrainian authorities as "massive" in scale—was still being assessed as emergency services responded to multiple impact zones. Air raid sirens kept much of the country, particularly the capital Kyiv and regions to the east, awake for hours into the early morning.

The attack comes as both Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy have, in recent days, expressed cautious openness to renewed negotiations, potentially focused on restricting assaults on civilian infrastructure. If such dialogue proceeds, it would mark the first direct talks between the two nations since early 2022, shortly after Russia launched its full-scale invasion.

In a statement, Mykola Lukashuk, head of the Dnipropetrovsk Regional Council, said: “The Russians attacked a bus carrying employees of a local enterprise who were en route to work in Marhanets.” Serhiy Lysak, governor of the Dnipropetrovsk region, confirmed that nine individuals were killed and over 30 others injured in the strike.

Additional drone strikes targeted several areas across Ukraine overnight:

• In the Synelnykivskyi district of the Dnipropetrovsk region, a separate drone attack injured two individuals and caused a fire at an agricultural facility, according to Ukraine’s emergency services.

• The central Poltava region sustained heavy damage in what was described as a “massive” drone assault. At least six people were injured, and numerous residential buildings, warehouses, and businesses were damaged or set ablaze.

• In the southern Odesa region, drone strikes on the outskirts of the Black Sea port city triggered fires and wounded two civilians, according to Governor Oleh Kiper.

• Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city, also came under attack, resulting in significant fires, Mayor Ihor Terekhov reported.

Ukraine’s air defense systems were activated during the barrage, including in the Kyiv region, though no damage was immediately reported there.

Russia has yet to publicly comment on the strikes. However, the Russian Ministry of Defence claimed its air defenses intercepted 11 Ukrainian drones overnight across various regions, including the annexed Crimean Peninsula. No damage was reported in Russian territory, according to regional authorities.

These developments coincide with continued diplomatic activity. Delegations from the United States, Europe, and Ukraine are meeting in London today for further discussions following preliminary talks in Paris last week. According to Axios, the Biden administration has presented a tentative peace framework that could involve Kyiv accepting current Russian territorial control—a condition Ukraine has thus far refused to endorse.

President Zelenskyy has reiterated his position that any durable peace must be predicated on full respect for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, underscoring the complexities surrounding any potential ceasefire negotiations.

As the humanitarian toll mounts and infrastructure damage deepens, Ukraine’s western allies continue to assess options for reinforcing defense capabilities while cautiously engaging in diplomatic dialogue. The international community is watching closely to determine whether the current signals from Moscow and Kyiv will evolve into meaningful steps toward de-escalation.