Russian Drone Kills Five on Passenger Bus in Southern Ukraine
A Russian drone struck a passenger bus in southern Ukraine early Wednesday, killing five people and wounding at least seven others, the latest in a series of strikes on civilian transportation.
Bus Strike Near Nikopol
The bus attack occurred near the frontline city of Nikopol in Dnipropetrovsk region, killing four men and one woman. [5] A further seven people were injured in the attack. [5] A photo posted on Telegram by a regional governor showed a white vehicle with blown-out windows and a line of what appeared to be blood streaming down its side. [5] President Volodymyr Zelenskyy described the attack, the latest in a series of Russian strikes on civilian transportation, as an “atrocity.” [1] Zelenskyy said there is no military logic to this, just another act of brutality. [5] He urged the U.S. and Europe to press ahead with toughening sanctions against Russia. [5]
Reactions from Ukrainian Leadership
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called the bus strike an atrocity with no military logic and urged stronger Western sanctions on Russia. [1] [5] Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said Russian forces strike passenger trains, locomotives, stations, and railway routes knowing exactly how essential they are for civilians, evacuations, and Ukraine's economy. [5] This is not collateral damage, he added. [5] It is a systematic hunt for people and an attempt to paralyse civilian life. [5]
Four people injured in Russian strike on central Kropyvnytskyi. — Source: ukrainskapravda
Train Attacks in Southern Ukraine
A separate Russian drone attack on a passenger train in Mykolaiv region caused no injuries after all 168 passengers and crew were evacuated. [5] The train was struck three times total. [5] Zelenskyy said that in addition to the Mykolaiv train attack, a locomotive in Kovel near the border with Poland was also struck. [5] The incidents follow similar attacks recently, including on a train near Ukraine's border with NATO-member Poland on Sunday. [5]
Strikes on Kropyvnytskyi and Odesa
Russian forces also struck central Kropyvnytskyi, injuring four people and damaging houses, a kindergarten and a car. [2] Russian forces launched an attack on Odesa on 16 September, killing one man. [3] The enemy strike damaged three garages and two cars. [3] The blast wave shattered windows in nearby buildings. [3]
A damaged passenger bus with shattered windows and blood on its side after a Russian drone strike near Nikopol. — Source: ukrainskapravda
Pattern of Attacks on Transport Infrastructure
Russia has intensified strikes on Ukrainian railways, hitting 120 passenger wagons, 304 locomotives and 43 stations so far this year. [5] The state rail operator said Russia has attacked 1,700 railway facilities in total since the start of the year, up from 1,206 facilities in 2025 and 842 in 2024. [5] Moscow and Ukraine have traded escalating strikes in recent months on logistics and other economic targets, aimed at hampering each other's war effort and damaging morale. [5] With Ukraine's airspace closed since Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022, buses and trains have become a vital transport link for ordinary Ukrainians and businesses. [5]
Russian Jet-Powered Drones
Lately there is a growing sense that Ukrainian interceptors are struggling to deal with Russia’s jet-powered drones. [4] According to data from the Ukrainian Air Force, four out of every 10 attack vehicles of this type reach their target successfully. [4] These drones are capable of speeds of up to 370 miles per hour and carry a 90-kilogram explosive payload. [4] Factories in the Alabuga economic zone in Tatarstan are mass-producing these high-speed jet drones. [4] According to Ukrainian intelligence figures cited by Reuters, Russia now manufactures around 3,000 of these attack vehicles a month. [4] The Ukrainian Air Force spokesman Yuriy Ignat said the invading army launched 350 jet-powered bomber aircraft in June, 1,500 in July, and 2,800 in August. [4] The first of these kamikaze drones was used on Ukrainian territory in January 2024. [4] The spearhead of the current Russian offensive, the Geran 5, can reach 370 miles per hour. [4] With the jet-powered craft, Ukrainian defense systems barely reach a 60% shoot-down rate. [4] The most advanced model has a range of roughly 620 miles. [4] Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, has said that 60 local companies are racing to develop interceptors that can hunt down these aircraft. [4]
What to watch next: Russia’s offensive with these missile-like drones has put Kyiv squarely in the crosshairs, with the central region recording the highest number of attacks with these projectiles last month.
