A deadly incident occurred in Ukraine’s southeastern Dnipropetrovsk region, where a Russian drone targeted a bus carrying miners, resulting in the loss of fifteen lives and injuring seven individuals, as confirmed by energy company DTEK and government authorities on Sunday.
The attack took place shortly after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy disclosed plans for a second round of U.S.-mediated trilateral discussions between Ukraine and Russia, scheduled for the upcoming week.
DTEK stated that Russian forces executed a “massive terrorist attack” on one of its mines in the region, with all the casualties being employees returning from their shift.
Energy Minister Denys Shmyhal condemned the attack as a cynical and deliberate act against energy sector workers in the Dnipropetrovsk region.
According to reports, the incident occurred in the city of Ternivka.
Video footage released by the State Emergencies Service depicted a burnt bus with shattered windows off the road.
Concurrently, in southeastern Ukraine, two individuals lost their lives in a drone strike on a residential building in Dnipro, with at least nine others sustaining injuries from Russian attacks on a maternity hospital and another residential structure in Zaporizhzhia.
The strikes occurred following statements by Zelenskyy that Russia, despite agreeing to halt attacks on Ukrainian energy infrastructure until February 1, was still targeting logistics within Ukraine.
Russia-Ukraine negotiations scheduled for next week
President Zelenskyy announced that the U.S.-supported trilateral talks involving Ukraine and Russia would convene in Abu Dhabi next week, amidst concerns over the energy ceasefire with Russia amid severe winter conditions.
Kyiv faces pressure to secure peace in the ongoing conflict, exacerbated by Russian airstrikes causing extensive damage to the energy system during harsh winter weather.
The initial round of talks in late January did not yield progress on territorial matters, as Moscow persists in demanding additional land concessions from Kyiv, which the latter refuses to concede.
Zelenskyy confirmed that the upcoming talks are set for Wednesday and Thursday, expressing readiness for a substantive dialogue to progress towards a resolution to the conflict.
“Ukraine is prepared for meaningful discussions, aiming for a genuine and honorable resolution to the war,” Zelenskyy conveyed via social media platform X.
Efforts underway to restore power
In Kyiv, Mayor Vitali Klitschko disclosed that 1,000 residential buildings remained without heating, with workers striving to repair the heating systems amid plummeting temperatures.
The city faced temperatures around -15°C on Sunday, with efforts underway to restore heating services to the affected highrises following a widespread grid malfunction on Saturday.
Forecasts predict temperatures in Kyiv to drop below -20°C on Monday.
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