At least 33 people were killed and 18 wounded when a Russian strike hit two passenger buses in the frontline city of Kramatorsk, according to local authorities, as attacks on Ukraine surge.
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Key facts
- At least 33 people were killed in a strike on two civilian buses, according to officials.
- The attack happened in Kramatorsk, in eastern Ukraine's Donetsk region.
- Eighteen people were wounded, the Donetsk regional prosecutor's office said.
- Public transport was suspended following the attack, the governor's office said.
- Ukraine accused Russia of deliberately targeting civilians.
At least 33 people have been killed after a Russian strike hit two civilian buses in Kramatorsk, a frontline city in eastern Ukraine’s Donetsk region, according to officials cited by Al Jazeera. Earlier reports from local authorities put the death toll at 30.
The Donetsk regional prosecutor’s office said the number of dead had risen through the morning. “As of now, the death toll from this morning’s attack on buses has risen to 30. Eighteen people were wounded,” the prosecutor’s office said, according to the Guardian. The governor’s office gave the same toll.
Following the attack, the governor’s office said public transport in the area had been suspended, the Guardian reported.
Ukraine accused Russia of targeting the crowded bus in the frontline city in order to kill as many civilians as possible, according to the BBC.
Kramatorsk lies in what the Guardian described as the country’s “fortress belt” in eastern Ukraine, an area close to the frontline. The strike comes amid what officials have characterised as a surge in deadly attacks on Ukraine.
The casualty figures were reported by multiple outlets, with the BBC and Al Jazeera citing a toll of at least 33 killed and the Guardian and Donetsk authorities reporting 30 dead and 18 wounded as of their publication.
Why it matters
The strike represents one of the deadliest single attacks on civilians reported in the area, underscoring the continued danger faced by people living near Ukraine's frontline. Attacks on civilian transport raise concerns about the targeting of non-combatants during the conflict.
Timeline
- Dozens killed in Russian strike on civilian buses in eastern Ukraine
Al Jazeera: At least 33 people were killed after a Russian strike hit two civilian buses in a city within the Donestsk region.
- Russian strike on buses kills at least 30, say officials, as deadly attacks on Ukraine surge
BBC World: Ukraine accused Russia of targeting the crowded bus in the frontline city to kill as many civilians as possible.
- Russian strike on buses kills 33, say officials, as deadly attacks on Ukraine surge
BBC World: Ukraine accused Russia of targeting the crowded bus in the frontline city to kill as many civilians as possible.
- Russian attack on two buses kills 30 near Ukraine frontline
The Guardian World: Authorities say 18 people also wounded after incident in Kramatorsk in country’s ‘fortess belt’ Europe live – latest updates Thirty people have been killed after Russia struck two passenger buses in Kramatorsk, near the frontline in eastern Ukraine, according to local authorities