By SCM Staff Writer
MOSCOW — A drone strike hit a scheduled passenger bus traveling through a Russian-controlled area of eastern Ukraine on Wednesday, killing at least eight people and wounding 11 others, according to local officials and Russian state media reports.
The attack took place near the settlement of Yenakiieve, a town in the Donetsk region that has been under the control of Russian and Russian-backed forces since 2014.
According to Denis Pushilin, the Russian-installed head of the region, the explosive-laden unmanned aerial vehicle struck the white passenger vehicle as it stopped to pick up passengers along its route from Moscow to Simferopol, the capital of occupied Crimea.
Fifty-three passengers were reportedly registered to travel on the long-distance bus line.
Murad Gazdiev, a correspondent for the Russian state-funded network RT, reported from the region that the strike is part of what Moscow describes as a systemic Ukrainian campaign targeting civilian transportation infrastructure on highways connecting the Donetsk and Luhansk regions.
Footage released by Russian investigators showed a completely burnt-out transport vehicle parked on the shoulder of the highway, its windows entirely shattered and parts of its metal roof caved in by the force of the blast.
Russian authorities announced they have opened a criminal case, classification it as a “terrorist attack,” and vowed to seek legal accountability for those who ordered and executed the strike.
The Ukrainian government did not immediately issue an official comment on the incident. Kyiv has consistently denied allegations that its military forces deliberately target civilian populations or infrastructure, maintaining that its operations strictly target military logistics, supply lines, and occupation forces.
The incident comes amidst an increasingly intense air war between the two nations, where long-range drones are routinely deployed by both sides.
Ukrainian forces have frequently used long-range drones and missiles to disrupt Russian transport corridors and fuel logistics heading toward Crimea, while independent international monitors have documented massive infrastructure damage and high civilian casualties from ongoing Russian drone and missile campaigns across Ukraine.
