A bombing in the city of Kramatorsk in eastern Ukraine resulted in the deaths of 33 individuals, with at least 18 others sustaining injuries, officials reported on Thursday. The incident was characterized as a deliberate attack on civilians in a strategically important area sought after by Moscow.
The assault, which occurred on a street where two city buses were in operation, was one of the most devastating single attacks this year. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy referred to the location as a bus stop. Images released by the police depicted a scene of chaos, with bodies scattered across the street and the remains of a burnt-out bus visible.
Vadym Filashkin, the regional governor, stated on the Telegram app that Russian forces view buses with passengers as attractive targets due to the potential for high casualties from a single strike. Moscow has not issued a response regarding the attack but has consistently targeted Ukrainian cities and other locations since the start of its invasion in February 2022, despite denying intentions to harm civilians.
Recent reports indicate an escalation in drone and precision-guided bomb attacks by Russian forces on Kramatorsk and other cities within Ukraine’s defensive perimeter in the Donetsk region. Russia has demanded that Ukraine relinquish control of the remaining territory in the region as a condition to cease hostilities, a demand that Kyiv has rejected. The progress of Moscow’s military advances in the region has notably slowed down this year.
In response to the escalating violence, authorities in Kramatorsk and Sloviansk have suspended public transportation to safeguard the lives of citizens. The bombing in Kramatorsk came shortly after a significant Russian airstrike across Ukraine targeting the power grid and followed separate drone strikes in Kyiv that resulted in three fatalities and 14 injuries.