Russian Strike on Passenger Buses Kills Dozens in Kramatorsk

Russian forces struck two passenger buses in Kramatorsk on Thursday morning, killing dozens of civilians. The attack occurred around 10:00 a.m. local time along Yuvileina Street near a dental clinic. Both vehicles were carrying commuters along scheduled transit routes.

The State Emergency Service of Ukraine reported that the death toll reached at least 33 people. Earlier assessments from the Donetsk Regional Military Administration and prosecutors placed the initial count at 12 before updating it to 30. Regional officials confirmed at least 18 people were injured, with several in critical condition.

Authorities could not immediately identify two victims due to the extent of their injuries. The explosion completely gutted one bus and set it ablaze. A second bus caught fire and sustained heavy damage.

Officials gave differing accounts of the munition. The Donetsk Regional Prosecutor's Office said Russian forces likely deployed a UMPB D-30SN guided aerial bomb. The Prosecutor General's Office noted reports that multiple-launch rocket systems carried out the attack.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russian forces intentionally struck an ordinary transit stop with an aerial bomb. He warned that the attack would not go unanswered. Zelenskyy renewed appeals for Western allies to supply air-defense systems.

Donetsk Regional Military Administration head Vadym Filashkin said Russian forces deliberately target civilians to maximize casualties. Filashkin stated that Russia intentionally violates international humanitarian law and warfare rules. Ukrainian human rights commissioner Dmytro Lubinets said Russia is methodically destroying Kramatorsk.

Kramatorsk City Council officials stated the strike targeted commuters in an area without military installations. A separate Russian strike killed three civilians in nearby Bilenke on Thursday. Russian shelling had also hit 31 settlements across Donetsk Oblast during the previous 24 hours.

Kramatorsk is a major Ukrainian-held administrative and logistics center near the front line. Russia has increasingly deployed standoff glide bombs launched beyond the reach of Ukrainian tactical air defenses. The attack followed an Oct. 2 drone strike on a Kramatorsk bus and a strike in Pryluky that killed 22 people.

Military administrations indefinitely suspended public transit in Kramatorsk and neighboring Sloviansk because of the threat of follow-up attacks. The Donetsk Regional Prosecutor’s Office opened a war crimes investigation under the Criminal Code of Ukraine. Regional officials renewed emergency appeals for civilians to evacuate front-line areas.