A Russian drone strike on a bus transporting workers in Ukraine has killed nine people, as Kyiv’s allies prepare to meet in London for the latest peace talks.
“The Russians attacked a bus with employees of the enterprise who were on their way to work in Marhanets,” Mykola Lukashuk, head of the Dnipropetrovsk region council, said on Telegram.
Serhiy Lysak, governor of the Dnipropetrovsk region, which includes Marhanets, in central-southern Ukraine, said nine people were killed in the attack, with at least 30 injured.
The attack comes as Donald Trump’s administration continues to drive efforts to find peace between Russia and Ukraine.
US President Donald Trump has suggested he is hopeful the warring parties “will make a deal this week”.
But Kyiv could be forced to swallow a bitter pill under terms being ironed out between the US and Russia, according to the Financial Times (FT).
Vladimir Putin has offered to halt his invasion of Ukraine across its current front lines, the newspaper reported.
Among the ideas floated by the US for the settlement are Moscow’s continued control of occupied Ukrainian regions, and US recognition that Russia owns the Crimean peninsula, the FT said.
Keith Kellogg, Mr Trump’s envoy for Ukraine and Russia, will represent the US at the talks in London.
Secretary of state Marco Rubio is unable to attend due to a scheduling issue, while Steve Witkoff – a Trump envoy who has been deeply involved in negotiations – is set to return to Moscow this week.
Foreign Secretary David Lammy said in a post on X that he had shared a “productive call” with Mr Rubio ahead of what he called a “critical moment for Ukraine, Britain and Euro-Atlantic security”.
He said: “The UK is working with the US, Ukraine and Europe to put an end to Putin’s illegal invasion. Talks continue at pace and officials will meet in London tomorrow.”
Defence Secretary John Healey told the House of Commons on Tuesday that allies will discuss “next steps” during the talks, “including what a ceasefire might look like and how to secure peace in the long-term”.
Productive call with @SecRubio. The UK is working with the US, Ukraine and Europe for peace and to put an end to Putin’s illegal invasion. Talks continue at pace and officials will meet in London tomorrow. This is a critical moment for Ukraine, Britain and Euro-Atlantic security. https://t.co/HmHvtGsnoE
— David Lammy (@DavidLammy) April 22, 2025
He also slapped down Mr Putin’s claims that Russia had observed a promised Easter truce, telling MPs that British military intelligence had found no indication of a pause in fighting.
“While Putin has said he declared an Easter truce, he broke it; while Putin says he wants peace, he has rejected a full ceasefire; and while Putin says he wants to put an end to the fighting, he continues to play for time in the negotiations,” Mr Healey said.
The Russian military has continued “to pressure Ukraine on a number of fronts”, Mr Healey also said.
But he added: “I can confirm Russian military progress is slowing. Putin gained less territory in March than he did in February, less territory in February than he did in January.”
On Tuesday, Sir Keir Starmer and his New Zealand counterpart Christopher Luxon, visited a military base in south west England to see the work done by allied nations to train Ukrainian troops.
The New Zealand premier’s visit was also a chance for the two countries to renew their defence ties.
Sir Keir last spoke to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Monday to lay out the latest plans for the “coalition of the willing”, a peacekeeping force aimed at policing a future settlement.
Wednesday’s talks come as Russia continues its bombardment of Ukraine.
A Russian drone hit a bus carrying workers in the Ukrainian city of Marhanets early on Wednesday, killing nine people in a wave of attacks that targeted civilian infrastructure.
The full scale of the attacks, which kept Kyiv and the eastern half of Ukraine awake for several hours overnight, was not immediately known.
Ukraine's emergency service reported an attack on the Synelnykivskyi district in the Dnipropetrovsk region that injured two people and sparked a fire at an agricultural enterprise.
Russia also launched “a massive” drone attack on the central Ukrainian region of Poltava, injuring at least six people, the emergency service said in a post on Telegram messaging app. “Solely the city's civilian infrastructure was under enemy attacks,” the emergency service said on Telegram.
Several fires broke out and residential buildings, enterprises, warehouses, and garages were damaged, the emergency service said, posting photos of firefighters battling flames at night.
Two people were injured in a drone attack on civilian infrastructure in the suburbs of the Black Sea port city of Odesa, which also sparked several fires, Oleh Kiper, governor of the southern Ukraine Odesa region, said on Telegram.
Large-scale fires also broke out as a result of a Russian drone attack on Ukraine's second-largest city, Kharkiv, Mayor Ihor Terekhov said on Telegram.
Air defence units were also engaged in repelling attacks on the Kyiv region, but there were no reports of potential damages.
There was no immediate comment from Russia about the attacks. The Russian defence ministry said that its air defence units destroyed 11 Ukrainian drones overnight over several Russian regions and over the Crimean Peninsula. Regional governors said there were no reports of immediate damages.
