Russian strike kills at least 30 in Kramatorsk
A Russian airstrike hit two buses near a bus stop in Kramatorsk, Ukraine, killing at least 30 people and injuring at least 20, according to local officials. Regional authorities halted public transit in Kramatorsk and nearby Slovyansk after the strike.
By Anastasiia Malenko KYIV -- A Russian airstrike hit two buses in the eastern city of Kramatorsk on Thursday, killing at least 30 people, the latest deadly attack in Moscow's escalating bombardment of Ukrainian cities. The two buses were near a bus stop in Kramatorsk when a Russian glide bomb -- a heavy, airdropped bomb guided to its target by fins -- struck, leaving devastation at the scene. Both buses were reduced to charred and twisted metal, while the bodies of passengers and other bystanders were scattered all around, according to photos and videos of the site. At least another 20 people were injured, according to local officials.
The attack is the latest deadly incident in Russia's escalating campaign of airstrikes against Ukrainian cities. On Wednesday, a cruise-missile strike on an apartment block in northern Ukraine killed 22, including five children. The campaign has killed or injured thousands of civilians this year. -Iran war, is struggling to defend itself against Russian ballistic missiles, while Russian jet-powered drones are also inflicting growing damage.
Glide bombs, dropped by Russia's war planes on areas near the front line, are particularly hard to defend against. Kramatorsk, one of the last major cities under Ukrainian control in the country's eastern Donetsk region, is coming under mounting bombardment as Russia tries to conquer the area. Moscow's forces have struggled to advance on the battlefield this year, but its drones, missiles and glide bombs are making civilian life near the front lines increasingly difficult. "Russia is trying to destroy all life in Donbas," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky wrote on the social-media platform X on Thursday.
Regional authorities halted public transit in Kramatorsk and nearby Slovyansk after the strike, citing the rising danger. "The Russians are deliberately targeting civilians. For them, a bus full of passengers is an attractive target precisely because a single strike can kill as many people as possible," regional governor Vadym Filashkin said on the messaging app Telegram. " Russia's Ministry of Defense didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.
Russia, which insists that Ukraine hand over the rest of the Donbas region, has presented its bombing campaign against Ukrainian cities as a response to Ukraine's strikes against Russian oil refineries. Many analysts say Moscow is trying to bring Ukraine to its knees by pummeling its economy and breaking civilian morale. More than 80% of Kramatorsk's population, which was close to 150,000 before Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022, has left the city, and hundreds more are leaving daily, according to local officials. The city's main streets are mostly covered in antidrone nets, but these offer no protection against heavy glide bombs.
"There is no safe space in our community now," Oleksandr Honcharenko, the head of the city's military administration, said last month, urging residents to evacuate. com (END) Dow Jones Newswires October 08, 2026 11:42 ET (15:42 GMT) Copyright (c) 2026 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. The statements in this document shall not be considered as an objective or independent explanation of the matters. Please note that this document (a) has not been prepared in accordance with legal requirements designed to promote the independence of investment research, and (b) is not subject to any prohibition on dealing ahead of the dissemination or publication of investment research.