Thirty-three people were killed and 18 others wounded after a Russian glide bomb struck two civilian buses in the frontline city of Kramatorsk, rescue officials reported. Vadym Filashkin, the head of the Donetsk region, stated that the attack appeared designed to maximize civilian casualties among passengers.
Images released by local prosecutors depicted the charred remains of the buses, scattered debris, and victims on the roadway. Kramatorsk and the adjacent city of Slovyansk are critical components of a defensive line that Kyiv describes as a “fortress belt,” which Russia is aggressively attempting to overrun as part of Vladimir Putin’s objective to annex the entire Donbas industrial region.
This incident reflects a sharp escalation in Russian aerial bombardments across Ukraine. According to United Nations data, the number of Ukrainian civilians killed by August of this year has already surpassed the total fatalities recorded throughout all of 2025. In a separate devastating strike earlier this week, a residential building in Pryluky, located east of Kyiv, was destroyed, resulting in 22 deaths, including five young children.
Moscow has not yet issued a comment regarding the Kramatorsk attack. However, Filashkin warned residents in the Donetsk region to relocate to safer areas of Ukraine. Due to the deteriorating security situation in the two cities, he announced the immediate suspension of all public transport, emphasizing that endangering the lives of passengers and drivers was unacceptable.
President Volodymyr Zelensky expressed his condolences on Telegram and urged Ukraine’s international partners to deliver “concrete action” through new defense packages. This appeal comes amid warnings from Ukrainian intelligence about an impending major Russian offensive, which prompted many families in Kyiv to seek shelter in metro stations.
With interceptor missiles in short supply globally, Ukraine faces significant challenges in defending against incoming ballistic threats. Both nations have recently intensified long-range strikes against each other’s infrastructure, with Russia targeting Ukrainian data centers and logistics hubs. Kramatorsk, previously a key military supply hub, is now subjected to near-daily attacks, particularly from glide bombs equipped with winglets that allow them to steer toward their targets.
The Kramatorsk City Council condemned the bombing as a “horrific crime” committed by the Russian army against civilians, noting that no military objectives were present at the site.
It’s awful, but the supply issues for interceptor missiles are real. How do they defend against glide bombs without more ammo?
Is there any end in sight? The UN stats say civilian deaths already beat last year’s total. This escalation is terrifying.
Absolutely heartbreaking. Thirty-three innocent lives taken on public buses shows the true cruelty of this war.