30 Killed in Russian Glide Bomb Strike on Kramatorsk Buses
Russian strikes killed 30 people on a public bus in the eastern Ukrainian city of Kramatorsk on 8 October, one of the deadliest single attacks in weeks, coming a day after a missile strike on an apartment block in Pryluky killed 22 including five children.
Deadly Bus Strike in Kramatorsk
Ukraine accused Russia of deliberately targeting civilians with a glide bomb on two buses in Kramatorsk, with no military targets present; three more people were killed in nearby shelling. [2] Police said the buses were hit with a glide bomb. [2] Thirty people were killed and at least 18 were injured by Russian strikes in eastern Ukraine that included an attack on a public bus, authorities said Thursday, as an intensive pre-winter wave of attacks continued. [3] "The Russians are deliberately targeting civilians," Donetsk Governor Vadym Filashkin said, accusing Moscow of flouting "every conceivable rule of warfare and norm of international humanitarian law". [2] Kramatorsk City Council called it "yet another horrific crime committed by the Russian army against the civilian population". [2] "Once again, the Russians have struck a location where there are absolutely no military targets," it added. [2] Filashkin said Thursday's strike represented a "sharp deterioration" in security and ordered the suspension of public transport in Kramatorsk and neighbouring Sloviansk. [2]
Pryluky Apartment Block Attack
According to the latest data, 22 people were killed, including five children, as a result of the Russian missile strike on Pryluky on 7 October. [1] The strikes come just a day after five children were among 22 killed when a Russian missile flattened a five-storey apartment block in Pryluky, in the northern Chernigiv region. [2] President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Ed Miliband, the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs of the United Kingdom, have visited Pryluky in Chernihiv Oblast, where a Russian missile struck an apartment block on 7 October. [1] Zelenskyy thanked the UK secretary, who arrived in Kyiv on an official visit, adding that Miliband was invited to visit Pryluky to "see for himself what is really happening, what daily strikes look like and how our people endure this struggle". [1]
Russian glide bomb strikes public buses in Kramatorsk killing 30 civilians. — Source: channelnewsasia
Zelenskyy Calls for Stronger International Pressure
President Zelenskyy vowed the Kramatorsk attack would not go unanswered, stated Russia is trying to destroy all life in Donbas, and called on the US to increase pressure on Moscow through sanctions, financial aid and air defence systems to force negotiations. [2] "Russia is trying to destroy all life in (the) Donbas (region) and the world must respond to this," he wrote on Telegram, warning that the death toll could rise. [2] Zelenskyy urged the United States to "raise the pressure" on Russia, including through providing better air defence systems, to force Putin to the negotiating table. [2] He called on partners, including the United Kingdom, to step up assistance to Ukraine, particularly with air defence systems. [1] Zelenskyy also emphasised the need to strengthen the negotiation process. [1] "In addition to the air defence factor, which is in short supply because our country is large and incoming strikes happen everywhere, we would certainly like to draw attention to the negotiation track, because, in our view, the United States of America should raise the pressure through sanctions and other steps – both financial assistance and specific air defence support for Ukraine. And through such steps... force Putin to sit down at the negotiating table." [1] Zelenskyy announced meetings between Ukrainian negotiators and the American side on 9 and 10 October. [1]
UK Minister Condemns Russian Strategy
UK Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband visited the Pryluky strike site with Zelenskyy on 8 October, described the attacks as Putin terrorising civilians, and announced additional UK sanctions on Moscow. [2] Touring the site of the Pryluky attack on Thursday, visiting UK foreign minister Ed Miliband said there was "no clearer sign of Putin's evil, evil intent and strategy in this conflict". [2] "Putin once said that he was going to win on the battlefield," he told reporters, as London announced more sanctions on Moscow. [2] "He is trying to win by terrorising civilians." [2] Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna condemned another massive Russian attack on Ukraine, urging partners to increase pressure on Moscow. [1]
Intensified Attacks on Kyiv and Oblast
Kyiv faced intensified Russian missile, drone and ballistic strikes, killing three and wounding 14 on 8 October, with damage to bridges, rail and energy infrastructure causing worsening blackouts. [2] Ukraine's capital, Kyiv, has come under increasing attack, including on Wednesday from a barrage of Russian ballistic and cruise missiles, and fast-moving, jet-powered drones. [2] Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko said three people were killed and 14 wounded on Thursday alone. [2] Key transport bridges in the city, as well as the rail network and energy grid have been hit. [2] For the first few years of the conflict, Kyiv had been relatively spared from the devastation wrought on the frontline but should now be on a war footing, he argued. [2] Russian strikes also hit warehouse facilities in Kyiv Oblast on 8 October, injuring three people, damaging a house and destroying a lorry. [4] Russian forces have attacked warehouse facilities in Kyiv Oblast, injuring three people. [4] "In the Bucha district, the enemy attacked warehouse facilities. Three people have been injured in the attack. One person has been taken to hospital. The other two have received medical assistance at the scene." [4] A house was also damaged in the Bucha district, while a lorry was completely destroyed by fire in the Bila Tserkva district. [4] Thirty people were killed and at least 18 were injured by Russian strikes in eastern Ukraine that included an attack on a public bus, authorities said Thursday, as an intensive pre-winter wave of attacks continued and power outages worsened in the capital Kyiv. [5]
Civilian Toll and Frontline Context
The UN has verified over 17,000 civilian deaths since the 2022 invasion, with the true figure likely higher; Ukrainian officials say security in the Donetsk frontline area has sharply deteriorated. [2] Since Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022, Ukraine has accused its forces of deliberately attacking and killing civilians. [2] The United Nations has verified more than 17,000 civilian deaths throughout the war but says the real number is considerably higher. [2] Last week, Zelensky said his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin had sanctioned massive attacks on civilian areas, a claim the Kremlin denies. [2] Kramatorsk, which was home to some 150,000 people before the war, is one of the key cities that Russia has not yet captured in the eastern Donetsk region, which Moscow claims as its own. [2] It has been a logistics and supply hub for the Ukrainian military for much of the war and is part of the so-called "fortress belt" which troops are fighting to keep hold of. [2] Russian forces have edged close to the city's eastern fringes, which has prompted calls for the civilians who remain to relocate to safer regions of Ukraine. [2] Ukraine last month launched a counter-offensive against Russian troops around Lyman - to the north of Kramatorsk and Sloviansk - claiming some success in regaining pockets of territory. [2]
What to watch next: Zelenskyy announced meetings between Ukrainian negotiators and the American side on 9 and 10 October while London announced more sanctions on Moscow.
