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Russian Bomb Strike on Kramatorsk Buses Kills at Least 33, Officials Say
A Russian bomb strike in Kramatorsk killed at least 33 people and wounded 18 on Thursday, Ukrainian authorities said. The bomb hit a street where two city buses were operating, with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy describing the site as a bus stop.
The regional prosecutor’s office initially reported 30 deaths. Ukraine’s State Emergency Service later raised the confirmed toll to 33, with 18 people injured. Images released by Ukrainian authorities showed debris and a burned-out bus at the scene.
Donetsk regional governor Vadym Filashkin accused Russian forces of deliberately striking civilians. Ukrainian police said the buses were carrying passengers at the time. Russia had not issued an immediate comment on the attack in the reports reviewed.
The strike prompted local authorities to suspend public transport in Kramatorsk and nearby Sloviansk, according to regional reports. Separately, Ukrainian officials said shelling killed three people in Bilenke, a settlement within the wider Kramatorsk community. Those deaths were reported as a separate incident and are not included in the 33 fatalities from the bus strike.
Kramatorsk is a key Ukrainian-held city in Donetsk region, close to the front line. The attack came amid a wider escalation in Russian strikes across Ukraine. Reuters reported that Zelenskyy put the nationwide toll from attacks over two days at 78 people killed and 215 wounded, including casualties from other locations.
The confirmed toll may change as authorities continue identifying victims and gathering information. The Ukrainian accounts describe the strike as hitting civilian public transport; that characterization has not been independently verified in full.
