Kramatorsk bus strike kills 30, Ukraine says

Ukrainian authorities said a Russian strike killed 30 people when two buses were hit in the frontline city of Kramatorsk in eastern Ukraine on Thursday.

Ukraine's national police said the buses were hit with a glide bomb. Authorities had earlier said 18 people were wounded in the strike, which happened at about 10:00 am local time.

President Volodymyr Zelensky said the attack “will not go unanswered” and warned that the death toll could rise. He accused Russia of trying to destroy “all life” in the Donbas region.

Emergency services said three more people were killed by shelling in a nearby village.

Donetsk Governor Vadym Filashkin accused Russia of deliberately targeting civilians and said the strike marked a sharp deterioration in security. He ordered public transport suspended in Kramatorsk and neighbouring Sloviansk, saying authorities could not risk the lives of passengers and drivers.

Kramatorsk City Council also accused the Russian army of striking civilians and said there were no military targets at the location.

Kramatorsk is a key city in the Donetsk region that Russia has not captured. It has served as a logistics and supply hub for the Ukrainian military during the war and is part of a line of cities Ukrainian troops are trying to hold.