Ukraine bus strike kills 30 in Kramatorsk, UN says

UN human rights chief Volker Turk said he was appalled by a “horrifying strike” on two public buses in the frontline Ukrainian city of Kramatorsk on Thursday that killed 30 people.

Turk said the bus strike was part of a wider wave of attacks killing civilians across Ukraine over the past four days. He said that since Monday, at least 85 civilians had reportedly been killed and 346 others injured in Russian strikes.

“The scale and manner of these attacks -- killing and injuring people on buses, at their homes and work in different areas of the country -- is reprehensible,” Turk said.

He said many areas of Ukraine had been plunged into darkness after long-range strikes on electric substations and power generation plants. Ukraine already faces emergency and rolling power outages before colder weather and shorter days increase demand for electricity, he added.

Turk also said he was deeply concerned by reports of Ukrainian attacks that have killed and wounded civilians in occupied territory and in Russia.

He said civilians are protected under the laws of war and may never be attacked. He added that alleged violations must be investigated and that deliberate attacks on civilians could amount to war crimes.