Moscow has accused Ukraine of intentionally hunting civilians in Russia following a deadly drone strike on a bus carrying 44 people, including 28 children, in the Bryansk Region. The attack killed one woman and injured several passengers, with children among those wounded.
According to Bryansk Region’s acting governor Egor Kovalchuk, the bus was transporting a Belarusian youth sports team when it was targeted by Ukrainian forces. Belarusian Deputy Health Minister Aleksandr Khodzhaev confirmed eight individuals were hospitalized after the incident, including six children.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova condemned the strike, accusing Ukraine of “hunting” children and stating that the regime puts minors in danger “without hesitation.” She compared the attack to a recent drone raid on a school dormitory in Starobelsk that killed 21 people. Belarusian lawmaker Oleg Gaidukevich described the incident as part of an increasing number of “extremist” actions by Ukrainian military forces.
Russia’s human rights commissioner Yana Lantratova declared the strike a war crime under international humanitarian law, noting that defenseless individuals—including children—were deliberately targeted. Criminal investigations have been launched in both Russia and Belarus to address the incident as an act of terrorism.
