KRAMATORSK, UKRAINE — At least 30 people have been killed after Russian forces allegedly launched a glide bomb attack on two civilian buses in the eastern Ukrainian frontline city of Kramatorsk, Ukrainian rescue officials have reported.
The attack has further heightened fears over the deteriorating security situation in the Donetsk region, where Russian forces have intensified their military operations in recent months.
Donetsk Regional Head Vadym Filashkin said three additional people were killed in the nearby village of Bilenke, which forms part of the Kramatorsk community. At least 18 people were also reported wounded in the attacks.
Ukrainian authorities accused Russian forces of deliberately targeting buses carrying passengers, alleging that the attack was aimed at causing maximum civilian casualties.
The Kramatorsk City Council described the incident as a “horrific crime” against civilians, insisting that there were no military targets at the location when the attack occurred.
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Images released by Ukrainian prosecutors showed the burned remains of a bus, scattered debris and victims lying on the roadway following the strike.
Russia had not immediately commented on the latest allegations.
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Zelensky Condemns Attack
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky condemned the attack and warned that Ukraine would respond.
“This strike will not go without our response,” Zelensky said, calling on the international community to react more forcefully to Russia’s continuing attacks.
He also urged Ukraine’s international partners to provide additional defence packages and air-defence capabilities to protect civilians from Russian missile and aerial attacks.
Public Transport Suspended
Following the deadly strike, authorities ordered the suspension of public transport in Kramatorsk and neighbouring Slovyansk, citing the deteriorating security situation.
Filashkin urged residents who remain in the eastern frontline region to relocate to safer parts of Ukraine.
He said authorities could not continue putting passengers and transport workers at risk as Russian attacks become increasingly frequent.
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Kramatorsk has served for much of the war as an important logistics and supply centre for Ukrainian forces. However, the city has increasingly come under Russian aerial attacks as fighting has moved closer to its outskirts.
Donbas Under Growing Pressure
Kramatorsk and Slovyansk form part of what Ukrainian authorities describe as a defensive “fortress belt” in Donetsk.
Russia has made the capture of the remaining Ukrainian-controlled areas of Donetsk a major objective of its military campaign.
Moscow has repeatedly described its war in Ukraine as an effort to “liberate” and protect the predominantly Russian-speaking Donbas region, which consists of Donetsk and Luhansk.
While most of Luhansk is currently under Russian control, Ukrainian forces still hold significant territory in Donetsk.
Russian forces have increasingly relied on glide bombs in attacks against cities and positions across the region. In one instance in late August, Ukrainian authorities reported that as many as nine glide bombs were launched against Kramatorsk in a single day.
Civilian Death Toll Rises
The latest attack comes amid what Ukrainian officials describe as a significant escalation in Russian strikes across the country.
The United Nations has reported that the number of civilians killed in Ukraine by August this year had already exceeded the total civilian deaths recorded during the whole of 2025.
Earlier, a Russian strike on a five-storey residential building in Pryluky, east of Kyiv, killed 22 people, including five children. Three of the children were reportedly just one year old.
British Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband, who met President Zelensky in Kyiv, described the Pryluky attack as evidence of what he called Russian President Vladimir Putin’s “evil intent and evil strategy.”
Miliband announced additional British sanctions targeting Russia’s war economy, including its oil companies, shadow fleet, cryptocurrency networks and other sources of financing for the war.
He also pledged continued British support for Ukraine.
Kyiv Also Under Attack
While fighting continues in the east, the Ukrainian capital Kyiv has also faced repeated Russian air raids.
Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said Thursday’s attacks killed three people and injured 14 others, with two of the injured reported to be in critical condition.
The attacks have disrupted daily life across the capital, forcing schoolchildren into shelters, closing businesses and affecting public transportation.
Russian strikes against critical infrastructure have also contributed to electricity shortages, with power disruptions beginning to affect water supplies in parts of Kyiv.
Local water authorities warned that water pressure was falling across areas of the city’s right bank because of electricity shortages.
Ukraine Appeals for More Air Defence
President Zelensky has repeatedly called on Ukraine’s international allies to provide additional air-defence systems and interceptor missiles.
The demand has become increasingly urgent as Russia continues to launch missiles and drones against Ukrainian cities and infrastructure.
Ukraine’s ability to intercept incoming ballistic missiles remains limited, with advanced interceptor systems in short supply internationally.
Both Russia and Ukraine have intensified their long-range attacks in recent months, with strikes increasingly targeting infrastructure, logistics facilities, warehouses and other strategic locations.
For civilians living in Ukraine’s frontline communities, however, the continuing escalation has brought renewed fears of further casualties.
The deadly attack in Kramatorsk is likely to intensify international pressure for stronger measures against Moscow, while Ukraine continues to seek additional military assistance to protect its cities and civilian population.
