Thirty people have been killed and 18 wounded after Russia struck two passenger buses in Kramatorsk, a city near the frontline in eastern Ukraine, the Donetsk regional prosecutor's office has said.
The prosecutor's office said the death toll from the morning attack on the buses had risen to 30, with 18 people wounded. The regional governor's office gave the same figures and said public transport in the city had been suspended following the strike.
Kramatorsk lies in the part of Donetsk region still held by Ukraine and sits within what officials have described as the country's «fortress belt», a line of towns and cities close to the front that have come under repeated attack. The city has served as an administrative and logistical hub for the Ukrainian-held portion of the east, and its bus network has been a lifeline for residents, many of whom depend on public transport to reach work, markets and medical care.
The strike hit two buses, according to local authorities, in an attack that occurred in the morning. Emergency services and prosecutors were working at the scene, and the wounded were being treated. The governor's office confirmed the suspension of public transport, a measure that leaves residents without their usual means of movement across the city at a time when roads and services are already under strain.
No further details on the type of weapon used or the exact location of the strike within Kramatorsk were immediately provided by the authorities. The prosecutor's office, which is responsible for investigating attacks in the Donetsk region, is handling the case.
The attack is among the deadliest single incidents involving civilians in eastern Ukraine in recent months. Kramatorsk and other towns in the Donetsk region have been struck repeatedly since the full-scale invasion began, with authorities regularly reporting casualties from missile, drone and artillery attacks. The city's proximity to the frontline makes it vulnerable to strikes that can reach populated areas with little warning.
Local officials have not announced a period of mourning, but the scale of the loss is expected to weigh heavily on a community that has already seen repeated displacement and disruption. The suspension of public transport is likely to complicate daily life further, particularly for residents who do not have private vehicles and rely on buses to move between neighbourhoods and to reach the wider region.
The Donetsk regional prosecutor's office and the governor's office are the official sources for the casualty figures, and both put the toll at 30 dead and 18 wounded. As is standard in the aftermath of such attacks, authorities have urged residents to follow official instructions and to avoid the affected area while emergency work continues.
Kramatorsk has been a repeated target during the war, and its role as a hub for the Ukrainian-held part of Donetsk has made it a focal point for both military and civilian activity. The city's bus stations and transport links have been central to the movement of people and goods in the region, and their suspension underscores the wider pressure on civilian infrastructure in the east.
The attack comes as fighting continues along the frontline in eastern Ukraine, where towns and cities close to the contact line face near-daily risk. Authorities in the Donetsk region have for months reported civilian casualties from strikes on residential areas, markets and transport points, and have repeatedly called on residents in frontline communities to evacuate.
Further updates on the wounded and on the investigation are expected from the Donetsk regional prosecutor's office and the governor's office as more information becomes available.
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