At least 33 people were killed and 18 others injured after a Russian glide bomb struck two civilian buses in Kramatorsk, Ukrainian officials said on Thursday.
The attack occurred in the frontline city in Donetsk region, where the buses were carrying passengers. Donetsk regional governor Vadym Filashkin accused Russian forces of deliberately targeting civilians.
Images released by Ukrainian authorities showed a burned-out bus and debris scattered across the road. Russia has not commented on the Kramatorsk attack. Moscow has repeatedly denied deliberately targeting civilians during its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Kramatorsk and neighbouring Sloviansk form part of a defensive belt in Donetsk that has come under intensified Russian attacks. Moscow has sought full control of the wider Donbas region, including the parts of Donetsk still held by Ukraine. Following the attack, authorities suspended public transport in Kramatorsk and Sloviansk and urged remaining residents in the area to move to safer parts of Ukraine.
Filashkin said authorities could not continue risking the lives of passengers and drivers as the security situation deteriorated.
Civilian Deaths Rise Across Ukraine
The Kramatorsk attack came amid a broader increase in civilian casualties across Ukraine. The UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission said at least 372 civilians were killed and 2,349 injured in Ukraine in August 2026. It said civilian casualties during the first eight months of the year had already surpassed the total recorded during the whole of 2025.
The escalation continued into October. On Wednesday, a Russian missile strike on a residential building in Pryluky, Chernihiv region, killed 22 people, including five children, according to Ukrainian emergency authorities. Another 54 people were injured.
Kyiv also came under attack on Thursday. Mayor Vitali Klitschko said three people were killed and 14 injured as Russian drones struck the capital. The attacks have disrupted daily life in Ukrainian cities, damaging homes, businesses and critical infrastructure. Power cuts have also affected water supplies in parts of Kyiv.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy offered condolences to families affected by the latest attacks and called on Ukraine’s international partners to provide additional air-defence systems. The UN has previously warned that long-range Russian missiles and drones have become a major source of civilian casualties, particularly in urban areas far from the frontline. In the first eight months of 2026, the UN verified 2,222 civilian deaths and 13,058 injuries in Ukraine.
Both Russia and Ukraine have intensified long-range strikes against targets behind the frontline in recent months, while Ukrainian officials continue to seek additional air-defence capabilities to protect populated areas.
