Russian Strike on Buses in Kramatorsk Kills at least 30 People

At least 30 people were killed and 18 others wounded on Thursday when a Russian aerial bomb struck two civilian buses in the frontline city of Kramatorsk. Authorities have suspended all public transport in the region following the attack.

The strike occurred at approximately 10 a.m. local time on a city street near a dental clinic, according to Ukrainian officials. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and regional governor Vadym Filashkin stated that the Russian military targeted a public transport stop with an aerial bomb. While NBC News and Deutsche Welle reported at least 30 deaths, Al Jazeera and BBC News cited a higher figure of 33 fatalities. Ukraine's National Police confirmed that 18 people were wounded in the blast.

Images released by local authorities showed charred bus wreckage, debris, and bodies on the road. Governor Filashkin accused Russian forces of deliberately targeting passengers to maximize civilian casualties, stating that a bus full of people is an "attractive target" for the Kremlin. Moscow did not immediately comment on the incident, though it has consistently denied targeting civilians during its full-scale invasion.

Following the attack, public transport services were suspended in both Kramatorsk and the neighboring city of Sloviansk. Filashkin cited a "sharp deterioration" in security and emphasized that officials could no longer risk the lives of drivers and passengers. He also renewed calls for remaining civilians to evacuate as Russian forces advance toward the eastern outskirts of the city.

The bombing in Kramatorsk follows a surge in Russian strikes across Ukraine. On Wednesday, a missile hit a residential building in Pryluky, killing 22 people, including five children. Additionally, separate strikes in Kyiv on Thursday killed three people and wounded 13 others, according to Mayor Vitali Klitschko. In Russia, the technology firm Yandex reported a fire at a data center in the Ryazan region caused by a drone strike on Thursday.

Background

Kramatorsk and Sloviansk are the last two large cities in northern Donetsk under Ukrainian control and form part of a heavily defended "fortress belt." Russia has been trying to capture these cities for more than a decade, following a brief period in 2014 when Russian forces occupied Sloviansk and pro-Russian separatists briefly held Kramatorsk.