30 Dead After Russian Glide Bomb Strikes Two Buses in Kramatorsk
At least 30 people were killed when Russian troops launched a glide bomb at two civilian buses in the eastern city of Kramatorsk, rescuers said. The attack also left 18 civilians wounded.
Authorities added that three more victims were found in the nearby village of Bilenke, part of the Kramatorsk municipality. Donetsk regional head Vadym Filashkin accused the Russians of deliberately targeting passenger vehicles to maximise civilian loss.
The strike underscores Moscow’s effort to capture the so‑called fortress belt that includes Kramatorsk and neighboring Slovyansk, a key element of President Vladimir Putin’s claim over Ukraine’s industrial Donbas region.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said, “This strike will not go without our response.” In a Telegram post he urged the world to react forcefully, calling the attacks a “destroy all life in Donbas” campaign.
Images released by local prosecutors show the shattered bus shell amid flames and black smoke, with scattered debris and bodies on the road. Moscow has so far not commented on the incident.
The attack follows a sharp rise in Russian air raids across Ukraine, with civilians now suffering more casualties than the entire previous year combined. One recent strike on a five‑storey block of flats in Pryluky killed 22 people, including five children, a figure that has shocked the international community.
UK Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband, who visited the Pryluky site with Zelensky, described the attack as evidence of “Putin’s evil intent and strategy.” He announced new sanctions targeting Russia’s war machine, oil companies, crypto, and financing networks, pledging steadfast support for Ukraine.
The Ukrainian coast guard ordered all public transport in Kramatorsk and surrounding areas to stop as safety concerns mounted. Filashkin urged those still in the eastern front to relocate to safer parts of the country. He stressed that security of civilians “cannot be compromised.”
Stressed by the local militia, the assault was described as a “horrific crime committed by the Russian army against the civilian population.” The city council decried the lack of legitimate military targets in the area, condemning the attack as a war crime.
In Kyiv, the government continues to battle relentless Russian strikes that have closed schools, halted business, and disrupted public transport. Air raid sirens have sounded almost every day since launch of Russian aggression.
Source: Prosecutor General's Office
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