Russian strike on two public buses in Kramatorsk killed at least 33 people and injured 18 others on Thursday, according to Ukrainian authorities, as attacks continued across the country.
The strike hit two passenger buses in Kramatorsk, a city in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region, at around 10 a.m. local time. The attack caused heavy casualties among people travelling on public transport, according to the Donetsk Regional Prosecutor’s Office and other Ukrainian authorities. Reuters later reported that the death toll had risen to at least 33.
Kramatorsk authorities suspended public transport following the attack. The city council said the buses were carrying civilians and described the location as one where there was no military target. The statement was an allegation by the local authorities, and Russia has not publicly accepted responsibility for deliberately targeting civilians. Moscow has repeatedly denied intentionally targeting civilians during the war.
The attack damaged the two buses and nearby buildings. Images released by Ukrainian authorities showed a badly burned bus and debris scattered across the street, while emergency crews continued search and rescue work at the scene.
Donetsk regional governor Vadym Filashkin offered condolences to the families of those killed and urged residents who remain in the region to leave for safer parts of Ukraine. Kramatorsk is in the part of Donetsk that remains under Ukrainian control and has faced repeated Russian drone and guided-bomb attacks as fighting continues in the region.
The attack came as Russia carried out a wider overnight drone assault across Ukraine. Ukraine’s Air Force said Russia launched 142 drones from the evening of October 7 into the morning of October 8. By 9:30 a.m., Ukrainian air defences had shot down or suppressed 126 of them, according to preliminary figures released by the Air Force. The attacks were recorded at seven locations, while falling debris was reported at four others.
Kyiv was also hit during the same wave of attacks. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said Russian drone strikes killed people and injured others across the capital. In one strike on a four-storey commercial building in the Solomyanskyi district, two people were killed and two others were injured, according to city authorities. Klitschko had earlier reported another death and 11 injuries from attacks on Kyiv, with the overall toll later rising as emergency services continued their work.
The attacks followed a broader Russian air campaign against Ukraine that has increasingly involved drones and guided bombs. Kramatorsk and nearby cities in Donetsk are particularly exposed because of their proximity to the front line and their importance to Ukraine’s defensive positions in the region.
Ukrainian officials have continued to call on civilians in areas close to the fighting to evacuate. The latest strike in Kramatorsk has added to the civilian death toll from a wider series of attacks across Ukraine, while emergency workers continue to assess the damage and establish the full number of casualties.
