At least seven people were killed and 11 others injured after a drone strike hit a passenger bus in Russian-controlled eastern Ukraine, according to local authorities in the occupied Donetsk region.
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The attack occurred near Yenakiyevo on Wednesday when a bus travelling between Moscow and Simferopol in Crimea was struck by an unmanned aerial vehicle. Officials in the Russian-administered region said the victims were civilians and that emergency services responded quickly to the scene.
Denis Pushilin, the Moscow-backed head of the occupied part of Donetsk, said preliminary information indicated that seven people lost their lives in the strike. He added that 11 others sustained injuries of varying severity and were receiving medical treatment.
The incident comes amid a continuing escalation of aerial warfare between Russia and Ukraine, with both sides carrying out large-scale drone and missile attacks. The conflict has increasingly relied on long-range strikes targeting military positions, infrastructure and transport routes.
A day earlier, Ukrainian authorities reported one of the largest Russian aerial assaults since the start of the war. According to Kyiv, Russian forces launched dozens of missiles and hundreds of drones, causing casualties and damage in several cities, including the capital and other major urban centres.
Meanwhile, Russia said its air defence systems intercepted hundreds of Ukrainian drones overnight across multiple regions. The Russian Defence Ministry reported that drones were shot down over border regions such as Belgorod and Kursk, as well as areas near Moscow and annexed Crimea.
The war, which began with Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, continues to inflict heavy civilian and military losses on both sides. Despite periodic diplomatic efforts, there has been little progress toward a negotiated settlement, and attacks involving drones and missiles remain a central feature of the conflict.
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Analysts say the growing use of unmanned systems has expanded the battlefield far beyond frontline areas, increasing risks for civilian infrastructure and transportation networks across the region.