Russian Airstrikes Kill Dozens Across Ukraine as Casualties Mount in Kramatorsk and Zaporizhzhia
Russian forces launched attacks across multiple Ukrainian regions, killing 30 people in Kramatorsk, 20 in Zaporizhzhia, and striking areas in Kyiv, Kharkiv, and other locations.
Thirty Dead After Glide Bombs Hit Kramatorsk Buses
In Kramatorsk, a Russian attack killed 30 people and injured 18 others after munitions struck two scheduled public buses, Novinky reported, citing regional officials. Vadym Filashkin, the head of the Donetsk regional administration, stated that Russian forces likely deployed glide bombs targeting the vehicles. Filashkin noted that a bus carrying passengers serves as a high-casualty target, prompting local authorities to suspend public transportation across Kramatorsk and neighboring Slaviansk due to the worsening security situation.
Earlier shelling in the nearby village of Cherkaske used a Smerch rocket launcher equipped with cluster munitions, according to the Ukrainian prosecutor’s office. The strike obliterated a residential home, killing three members of a single family: a 36-year-old woman, her 62-year-old grandmother, and a 13-year-old girl. Three other men and the victim’s 18-year-old son sustained injuries. Prosecutors are investigating the attack as a war crime.
Zaporizhzhia Toll Rises to Twenty as Search Operations Continue
Further south, a Russian strike on Zaporizhzhia killed 20 people, including three children, and left 32 others injured, according to Ivan Fedorov, the head of the regional administration. Fedorov reported that the fate of 12 individuals remains unknown as emergency search-and-rescue operations persist. Interior Minister Ihor Vyhivskyi stated that rescuers successfully extracted a woman alive from the rubble after eight hours of searching.
In the Nikopol district of the Dnipropetrovsk region, a separate Russian drone strike killed an 11-year-old boy and injured two other children, regional military administration head Oleksandr Hanzha reported. Meanwhile, in the capital, Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko confirmed that seven people were wounded following an attack on a restaurant in the Obukhiv district, while falling debris and strikes sparked fires across several regional locations that firefighters subsequently extinguished. Another person was injured in an attack on Pavlohrad in the Dnipropetrovsk region.
Air Defenses Intercept Hundreds of Drones Amid Mutual Strikes
The aerial assault extended across multiple fronts, with the Ukrainian air force reporting that Moscow launched 121 attack drones overnight, of which 89 were neutralized.
Strikes Target Western Regions and Leave Trail of Destruction
The cities of Lviv and Ivano-Frankivsk in western Ukraine also became targets of the assault, though officials reported no immediate information regarding potential damage or casualties. Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj described the attacks ironically as a display of Russian gratitude regarding the lifting of Russian oil export sanctions announced by US President Donald Trump following a telephone call with Russian leader Vladimir Putin, while promising retaliation. Ukrainian forces continued to face an invasion that began in February 2022, marked by daily drone, missile, and rocket attacks across the nation, while the United Nations has recorded the vast majority of civilian casualties on territory controlled by Kyiv.
Frequently Asked Questions
What specific munitions were used in the Kramatorsk bus attack?
Regional officials reported that Russian forces used glide bombs to strike two public transit buses in Kramatorsk, resulting in 30 fatalities and 18 injuries.
How many children were among the casualties in Zaporizhzhia?
According to Ivan Fedorov, head of the Zaporizhzhia regional administration, three children were among the 20 people killed in the city.
What measures did local authorities take in Kramatorsk and Slaviansk following the strike?
Vadym Filashkin ordered local authorities to halt public transportation operations in both Kramatorsk and Slaviansk due to the deteriorating security situation near the front line.
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