Russian strikes on civilian buses kill dozens in eastern Ukraine city

A Russian strike on two civilian buses in the eastern Ukrainian city of Kramatorsk killed dozens of people on Thursday. The BBC, France 24, and the Guardian reported that at least 30 people were killed, while Al Jazeera and the South China Morning Post reported that at least 33 people died in the attack. UN News, citing local authorities, also reported at least 30 civilian deaths from the strike on the public buses. [1][2][3][4][5][6][7]

The BBC, France 24, and the Guardian reported that 18 people were wounded in the Kramatorsk attack. The BBC noted that Donetsk regional head Vadym Filashkin accused Russia of intentionally targeting vehicles carrying passengers to kill as many civilians as possible. Additionally, the BBC reported that three people were killed in the nearby village of Bilenke. [2][4][5][6]

The weapon used in the attack varied across news reports. The BBC described the strike as a glide bomb attack, the Guardian reported it was a missile strike, and the South China Morning Post called it a bomb attack. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said there would be a response to the strike on what he described as an ordinary public transport stop, according to France 24 and the Guardian. [2][4][5][7]

The bus strike occurred amid a wider increase in Russian attacks across Ukraine. UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk stated that at least 85 civilians had been killed and 346 injured in Russian strikes since Monday, describing the scale of the attacks as reprehensible, UN News reported. Long-range strikes on power plants and electricity substations have left many parts of Ukraine facing energy outages ahead of the winter period. [1][6]