In one of the deadliest single incidents in recent months, a devastating Russian strike hit passenger transport in the frontline city of Kramatorsk on Thursday, killing at least 30 people and leaving 18 others injured.
According to a statement released by the Donetsk Regional Prosecutor’s Office and local authorities, the attack occurred at around 10:00 a.m. local time. Two scheduled passenger buses caught in the epicentre of the blast were severely damaged. Preliminary reports indicate that Russian forces deployed a high-precision guided aerial munition—believed to be a UMPB D-30 SN glide bomb—directly into the populated area.
The strike on Kramatorsk was part of a broader, coordinated wave of attacks launched by Russian forces across multiple Ukrainian regions overnight and into Thursday morning. Emergency response teams, medical personnel, and rescue units immediately rushed to the scene to pull victims from the wreckage and treat the wounded. Regional authorities warn that the final death toll may continue to rise as search and recovery operations proceed.
In response to the rapidly escalating security threat and what officials called a deliberate targeting of civilian infrastructure, the city military administrations of both Kramatorsk and neighbouring Sloviansk announced the immediate suspension of public transportation services.
“This is a forced step dictated by the actions of the enemy, for whom public transport has become yet another way to kill Ukrainians,” local officials noted, urging residents to remain sheltered as rescue operations and damage assessments continue.
