A Russian glide bomb attack on two civilian buses in the frontline city of Kramatorsk has killed 33 people and injured 18 others, according to rescue officials. Vadym Filashkin, the head of the Donetsk regional administration, accused Russian forces of intentionally targeting a passenger-carrying bus to maximise civilian casualties.
Images shared by local prosecutors showed the burnt remains of a bus alongside debris on the road. The attack caused fires on both of the passenger-carrying buses. In response to the worsening security situation in Kramatorsk and neighbouring Slovyansk, local authorities have ordered all public transport services to suspend operations to protect passengers and drivers.
Kramatorsk and Slovyansk form part of a defensive belt in the Donbas region, which Russian President Vladimir Putin has claimed in its entirety. While Moscow has not yet commented on the strike, the incident comes amid a sharp increase in Russian attacks across Ukraine. United Nations data indicates that civilian fatalities in Ukraine by August of this year had already surpassed the total recorded for the entirety of 2025.
Filashkin urged remaining residents in the Donetsk region to evacuate to safer areas of the country. Prior to this strike, an attack on a residential building in Pryluky, east of Kyiv, killed 22 people, including five children. Meanwhile, constant air raids on the capital city of Kyiv killed three people and injured 14 others on Thursday, causing disruptions to schools, businesses, and public infrastructure, including municipal water and power systems.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky expressed condolences to those affected and called on international partners to provide immediate defence packages. Ukrainian officials have warned of a potential major Russian onslaught, though local defence efforts are constrained by a global shortage of interceptor missiles needed to counter incoming ballistics.
Source: BBC News
