Attack on civilian transport in frontline city of Kramatorsk draws condemnation from Kyiv as Russia intensifies pressure on Donbas strongholds.
A Russian glide bomb struck two passenger buses in the eastern Ukrainian city of Kramatorsk on Thursday morning, killing at least 30 people and wounding around 18 others in one of the deadliest single attacks on civilians in Ukraine this year, according to local officials.
The strike occurred at approximately 10am local time on a street in Kramatorsk, a frontline city in the Donetsk region that forms part of Ukraine’s so-called “fortress belt.” Ukrainian authorities said the guided aerial bomb hit an area near a public transport stop and a dental clinic on Yuvileina Street, setting the buses ablaze and scattering debris and bodies across the roas.
Donetsk regional head Vadym Filashkin reported the rising death toll throughout the day, accusing Russian forces of deliberately targeting buses carrying civilians “precisely because one strike can kill as many people as possible.” He said the attack represented a sharp deterioration in security and ordered the immediate suspension of all public transport in Kramatorsk and the neighbouring city of Sloviansk. Filashkin also urged remaining residents of the Donetsk region to evacuate to safer parts of Ukraine.
Russian Strike on Donetsk Bus top Kills Civilians:
Ukraine’s State Emergency Service confirmed that the blast ignited fires on the two buses and in the surrounding area. Rescue workers faced additional challenges as Russian drones targeted responders at the scene, according to local police. Some victims were so severely burned that identification proved difficult, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.
In a statement on Telegram, Zelenskyy described the target as “an ordinary public transport stop” and vowed that the strike “will not go without our response.” He added that Russia was “trying to destroy all life in Donbas” and called on the international community to react “harshly.” The Donetsk regional prosecutor’s office opened a preliminary investigation into a suspected war crime.
Authorities also reported that three people were killed by shelling in the nearby village of Bilenke, part of the Kramatorsk community, bringing the regional toll higher. Across Donetsk Oblast, the day’s attacks claimed additional lives.
Kramatorsk and Sloviansk have become increasingly frequent targets as Russian forces press their campaign to seize the remainder of the Donetsk region, a key objective repeatedly stated by Russian President Vladimir Putin. The cities serve as important logistics and defensive hubs for Ukrainian forces near the front line. Ukrainian officials insisted there were no military targets in the immediate vicinity of the bus stop.
Deadly Russian Strikes Intensify Across Ukraine:
The Kramatorsk attack came a day after a Russian missile strike on a residential building in the northern town of Pryluky killed 22 people, including five children. Ukrainian officials have described a broader surge in Russian long-range attacks in recent weeks, contributing to higher civilian casualties and renewed pressure on energy infrastructure, including emergency power outages in Kyiv.
Moscow has not issued a specific comment on the Kramatorsk strike. Russia has previously denied deliberately targeting civilians in the conflict, which it launched with a full-scale invasion in February 2022.
Images released by Ukrainian police and prosecutors showed the charred metal remains of at least one bus, bodies on the roadway, and emergency crews working amid the wreckage. Public transport remains suspended in the affected cities as investigations continue and the death toll is verified.
The United Nations has previously documented rising civilian casualties in Ukraine this year compared with 2025, amid intensified fighting and strikes far from the front lines. As winter approaches, both sides appear to be escalating attacks on infrastructure and population centres.