Rescue officials said a Russian glide-bomb strike on two passenger buses in Kramatorsk killed 33 people and wounded 18. Donetsk's governor accused Russia of targeting buses to maximise civilian deaths.
Ukrainian rescue officials said a Russian glide-bomb strike on two civilian buses in Kramatorsk killed 33 people and wounded 18 on Thursday. The BBC attributed the death toll to rescue officials and the wounded figure to Donetsk regional head Vadym Filashkin. Ukrinform, citing the State Emergency Service, reported the same counts after an earlier prosecutor update had put the dead at 30.
Police said the munition hit a street where two city buses were operating. Ukrinform said the strike, at about 10:00 local time, used a UMPB D-30 SN guided bomb and set fires in the buses. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy described the location as a bus stop, Al Jazeera reported.
Filashkin accused Russia of targeting buses because one strike could kill as many passengers as possible. Kramatorsk City Council said there were no military targets at the site. Moscow had not commented in the reports available Thursday morning. Three people were also killed in Bilenke, Ukrinform said.
Kramatorsk and Slovyansk sit in the belt of cities Russia is trying to take in Donbas. Zelenskyy offered condolences and said partners needed new defence packages.
The figures are official Ukrainian counts that rose through the morning. They are not an independently verified forensic total.
People Sentiments Negative
- Vadym Filashkin said a bus with passengers was targeted because one strike could kill as many people as possible.
- Zelenskyy called for new defence packages.
- Kramatorsk City Council said the strike hit a place with no military targets.