On the second day after the tragedy in Bilopilla, where nine civilians were killed as a result of a targeted attack by a Russian kamikaze drone, rescuers from the Sumy Oblast carried out the immediate evacuation of ten children. Their mothers were in the bus that came under fire. During the attack, the mother of two children was killed, and the mother of eight children was injured. Evacuation became not just a rescue operation, but a painful and at the same time life-necessary action — preservation of basic security for those who were left without protection.
The morning of May 17, 2025, in the city of Bilopylla, Sumy region, ended with another shelling of civilian infrastructure. The Russian drone “Lancet” struck a bus that was traveling on its usual route. The vehicle had no military purpose. According to official information, nine people died. All of them are civilians, most of them are women returning home or on business trips. Among the passengers were also mothers whose children were waiting for them at home. After the impact from the drone, the wreckage of the bus flew tens of meters. The mother of two children died on the spot, and the mother of eight children was seriously injured.
The next day, May 18, rescuers of the Sumy Oblast State Emergency Service conducted an urgent operation to evacuate ten children from the Bilopol community. All of them were directly related to the victims of the shelling — their mothers were on the bus. By information The children were taken by the emergency services, accompanied by two adults, to a safer place, where doctors and psychologists were already waiting for them.
Employees of the emergency services noted that the children were evacuated as quickly as possible. At that time, the community was already under the threat of new shelling. The evacuation was carried out not only for safety reasons — it was important to provide children with psychological support immediately after the loss or injury of their mother.
At the time of evacuation, the children were under the temporary supervision of neighbors and relatives, but without a clear future perspective. For several of them, the State Emergency Service organized temporary accommodation in a humanitarian shelter. Local social services officials said all the children would soon be formally placed in foster care if their mothers were unable to care for them on their own.
Crisis psychologists immediately began working with the children at the temporary accommodation facility. The State Emergency Service confirmed that specialists had experience working with children who lost their parents during the war. According to the rescuers, in the first hours after the evacuation, most of the children could not talk about what happened. Some of them showed signs of acute stress, including crying, numbness, and refusal to eat.
Also, representatives of the regional center of social services, who are preparing support in case of legal registration of guardianship, change of residence, as well as receiving state aid, arrived at the place.
Bilopyllia remains one of the most vulnerable districts of Sumy Oblast. The city and its surroundings are regularly shelled by artillery, mortars and drones. The distance to the border with Russia is only a few tens of kilometers. Transport, residential buildings, schools, medical facilities – all these objects have long been targets. However, it was the attack on the bus, which led to the death of women and the evacuation of ten children, that became a tragic turning point for the entire community.
Local authorities have repeatedly appealed to the central leadership to create “safe corridors” for transport, but in fact the front line here is so unstable that no one can guarantee complete security.
