Ukrainian officials said a Russian glide bomb hit two civilian buses in Kramatorsk, killing at least 30 people and wounding 18. Three more people were killed in nearby Bilenke.
A Russian glide-bomb strike killed at least 30 people on two civilian buses in Kramatorsk on Thursday, Ukrainian rescue officials and the Donetsk regional administration said. Another 18 people were wounded, Donetsk governor Vadym Filashkin said. Authorities also reported three people killed in Bilenke, in the same community.
Police said the buses were operating on a street in the eastern city when they were hit. The local prosecutor's office posted images of a burned bus shell and debris on the road. Filashkin accused Russia of targeting buses because one strike can kill many civilians. Those are Ukrainian official claims. Russia had not issued a matching account in the reports cited here.
President Volodymyr Zelensky said the strike would not go without a response. On Telegram he said Russia is trying to destroy all life in Donbas and that allies need to react harshly. Kramatorsk and neighbouring Slovyansk sit in the belt of cities Moscow has been trying to take as part of its claim to the whole Donbas region.
The BBC described the attack as part of a surge in strikes on Ukrainian cities. Separate reports the same day described a missile strike on a residential building in Pryluky. That is a different location and is not included in the Kramatorsk toll.
The figures are official Ukrainian counts from Thursday. They can change as rescuers finish searching.
People Sentiments Negative
- Vadym Filashkin said Russia targeted buses carrying passengers to kill as many civilians as possible.
- Volodymyr Zelensky said the strike would not go without a response and called for a harsh reaction from allies.