Russia-Ukraine War: 33 Killed as Russian Bomb Hits Buses in Kramatorsk

A Russian guided bomb exploded near public buses carrying passengers in the eastern Ukrainian city of Kramatorsk on Thursday, killing 30 people and leaving at least 18 others injured, local authorities said.

The explosion occurred near a bus stop during the morning rush hour in Kramatorsk, located in Ukraine’s Donetsk region. Public transportation services in the area were subsequently suspended.

Oleksandr Honcharenko, head of the city’s military administration, accused Russia of deliberately targeting civilians. He also said rescue operations were made more difficult by subsequent Russian drone attacks involving small unmanned aircraft.

The incident occurred as Ukraine faced another intense wave of Russian attacks ahead of winter, with worsening power shortages reported in the capital, Kyiv.

A day earlier, Russian missile strikes hit the northern city of Pryluky, where the death toll has risen to 22, including five children. At least 54 others were injured.

Rescue teams continued searching through the remains of a residential building struck in the attack, while heavy machinery was used to clear debris from the damaged section of the structure.

Some residents whose homes were badly damaged reportedly had to spend the night in their apartments because they had nowhere else to go. Rescue dogs were also deployed as authorities searched for people who remained unaccounted for.

British Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband condemned the Pryluky attack during a visit to Ukraine on Thursday, describing Russian President Vladimir Putin’s approach to the war as “evil.”

Speaking at the scene, Miliband said the deaths of civilians, including five children, demonstrated what he described as Russia’s continued targeting of civilian areas.

He also pointed to international humanitarian law, arguing that deliberately attacking civilians constitutes a war crime.

During his visit, Miliband announced additional sanctions against Russia targeting oil companies, vessels linked to its so-called shadow fleet and military supply networks.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky also warned that Russia could intensify its missile and drone attacks as winter approaches. He called on NATO members to provide further military assistance to help Ukraine strengthen its air defences.

“Support in words must take concrete form in new packages for Ukraine’s defence,” Zelensky said in an online statement, highlighting the need for anti-ballistic defence systems, ammunition for combat aircraft and investment in interceptor drones.

In Kyiv, energy company DTEK said emergency power cuts had been introduced following an order from national grid operator Ukrenergo.

The company explained that the emergency outages were separate from the scheduled rolling blackouts already being implemented in parts of the country.

Ukrainian authorities have also renewed a public awareness campaign encouraging residents to prepare for potentially prolonged winter power shortages. Families have been advised to keep emergency supplies, including drinking water, and maintain alternative sources of electricity.

Kyiv police separately reported that bomb disposal teams had neutralised two unexploded ballistic missile warheads found near residential buildings. Each warhead was estimated to weigh about half a tonne.

Late Wednesday, Russian drones attacked Kyiv’s Obolonskyi and Desnianskyi districts, killing four people and injuring 12 others, including four children, according to police.

The latest attacks come as Russia and Ukraine continue their long-range aerial confrontation, while ground forces remain largely locked in a stalemate along much of the front line, more than four and a half years after Russia launched its full-scale invasion.

Elsewhere, Russian technology company Yandex reported that one of its data centres in the western Ryazan region was damaged in a Ukrainian drone attack. The facility was taken offline, with the company warning that the incident could cause disruptions to some online services.

Ukraine also said on Thursday that its forces had attacked a major oil refinery complex in Salavat, around 1,200 kilometres (750 miles) east of Moscow.

Ukraine’s General Staff described the facility as one of Russia’s largest oil refining and petrochemical complexes. The claim had not been independently verified.

Meanwhile, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said Ankara had submitted proposals to both Moscow and Kyiv aimed at protecting civilian shipping in the Black Sea.

Fidan warned that continued military escalation could threaten commercial shipping and disrupt grain exports through the strategic waterway.

In a separate development, Lithuania has deployed about 100 additional soldiers to strengthen security along its border with Russia’s Kaliningrad exclave, Defence Minister Robertas Kaunas said.

Kaliningrad, which is separated from mainland Russia and lies between Lithuania and Poland, remains a major security concern for NATO’s eastern flank.

Kaunas said the size and duration of the deployment could be changed depending on developments in the security situation.

Source: Independent

Culled by: Ed O. Mike