• Russian drone strike on a bus kills at least 12 mine workers in Ukraine.
• Seven additional people were injured in the attack, according to local officials.
• The strike targeted workers returning from a mining facility in Dnipropetrovsk region.

A Russian drone strike on February 1 targeted a bus carrying mine workers in Ukraine's Dnipropetrovsk region, resulting in the deaths of at least 12 individuals and injuring seven others. The strike occurred in the vicinity of Ternivka, about 65 kilometers from the front line, as the vehicle was returning from a mining facility operated by DTEK, Ukraine’s largest private energy company. The regional military administration chief, Oleksandr Ganzha, confirmed the preliminary death toll via Telegram, stating that "the enemy drone hit near a company shuttle bus" in the area, indicating a deliberate attack on energy sector workers, according to BBC, Los Angeles Times, and Al Jazeera.

The drone strike coincided with other attacks in the region, including an assault on a maternity hospital in Zaporizhzhia, which left six people injured. Ukrainian officials report that the violence is ramping up as the country prepares for renewed peace talks with Russia. President Volodymyr Zelensky stated the next round of discussions would occur later in the week, following the attack that killed the miners. DTEK characterized the strike as a "large-scale terrorist attack," according to Channel News Asia and Channel News Asia.

This series of attacks unfolds as tensions remain high following unilateral reductions in Russian strikes, which were set to end on the same day as the bus strike. Although U.S. President Trump announced a temporary halt to strikes against Ukrainian cities, the Kremlin's subsequent actions demonstrate a continuation of hostilities. The ongoing conflict is marked by severe consequences for civilians and infrastructure within Ukraine, and the humanitarian crisis is exacerbated by such military engagements, as reported by BBC, Los Angeles Times, and Al Jazeera.