Earlier today, Russia attacked the Ukrainian-held frontline city of Kramatorsk, Donetsk Region governor Vadym Filashkin confirmed. A bomb struck a street where two city buses were operating, killing at least 30 people, according to the latest figures.
At 11 a.m. local time, Filashkin published a post that read:
“At least 12 people were killed in the Russian strike on Kramatorsk. Twelve lives that Russia took in an instant. These are not ‘consequences of war’ and not dry statistics. These are people killed by the Russian army.”
He updated the post to include information that as of 14:55 local time, 30 people were killed and 20 were known to have been wounded. Filashkin urged everyone still remaining in the Donetsk Region to evacuate to safer parts of Ukraine.
“The Russians are deliberately targeting civilians. For them, a bus full of passengers is an attractive target because a single strike can kill as many people as possible,” Filashkin said in a second post.
Three more people were killed in shelling in the village of Bilenke, part of the Kramatorsk community, bringing the overall death toll in the area to 33, according to Ukraine’s State Emergency Service.
President Volodymyr Zelensky also provided an update via Telegram, adding that the number of casualties may rise:
“As of now, 30 people are known to have died, and, unfortunately, that number may rise. The Russian bomb struck two minibuses. Some of the victims have not yet been identified due to the severity of their injuries. My condolences go out to all the families and loved ones. In total, 18 more people were injured as a result of this strike.
This attack will not go unanswered. Russia is trying to destroy all life in the Donbas region, and the world must react to this. It must react decisively — in the way that the Russians deserve for all the deaths they have caused. Eternal memory to those who have died.”
A day earlier, on Oct. 7, Russia carried out what was then its deadliest attack on Ukraine in a month. By the morning of Oct. 8, 22 people had been confirmed dead in Pryluky in the Chernihiv Region after a missile struck a five-story apartment building. Five of those killed were children. Another 54 people were injured, including seven children. The search-and-rescue operation ended around noon on Oct. 8, Zelensky said.
