UPDATE - Ukraine accuses Russia of drone strike that killed 9, injured 51

​​​​​​​ADDS REMARKS BY ZELENSKYY, CHANGES HEADLINE, DECK, LEDE, EDITS THROUGHOUT

By Elena Teslova and Alperen Aktas

MOSCOW, ISTANBUL (AA) - Ukraine claimed Wednesday that a Russian FPV drone strike killed nine people and injured 51 when it hit a bus carrying workers in Marhanets, located in the Dnipropetrovsk region.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy condemned the strike as “an egregiously brutal attack.”

“In the city of Marhanets the Russians struck a bus which was transporting workers of a mining and processing plant. An ordinary bus. Clearly a civilian object, a civilian target,” he wrote on X. “More than 40 people were injured, most of them women, and some received very severe wounds. Tragically, 9 people were killed.”

Dnipropetrovsk region Gov. Serhiy Lysak confirmed the attack. “The number of people injured in the morning attack has also increased to 51. Four are in serious condition,” said Lysak.

Lysak said earlier that 42 victims were injured in the attack.

Zelenskyy said such FPV drone attacks have become routine in Ukrainian cities including Kherson, Kupyansk, Pokrovsk and Nikopol. He warned the international community that the normalization of such strikes could embolden other armed actors globally.

“The Russians even showboat about them, posting footage of strikes on civilians online. The whole world should take this seriously — if the Russians are using this form of terror, other terrorists may adopt it too,” he said.

Zelenskyy reiterated Ukraine’s demand for a full and unconditional ceasefire, referring to a US proposal on March 11. He said Ukraine remains ready for an immediate ceasefire, at the very least for civilian targets.

“There were no air raid alerts on Easter, and Ukraine proposed extending this state of silence for at least 30 days and making the ceasefire comprehensive,” he added.

The Dnipropetrovsk region has been a frequent target of Russian airstrikes, as it hosts several major Ukrainian defense enterprises, including those involved in the production of drones, missiles and rockets.

Moscow did not immediately comment on Kyiv’s allegations.​​​​​​​