A Ukrainian drone hit a bus in Russia’s Belgorod Oblast on Monday, killing five civilians, according to Russian officials, as Ukrainian forces continue to launch major US-backed drone swarms into Russian territory.
“It is with a heavy heart that I report: according to preliminary data, five innocent civilians, including a minor, were killed as a result of this inhuman and despicable attack: four women and a boy died from their injuries,” said acting Belgorod Governor Alexander Shuvayev.
Shuvayev accused Ukraine of “deliberately” targeting the bus and said that another 23 people were injured in the attack, which hit the bus in the Belgorod city of Shebekino. Footage from local media is said to show the aftermath of the attack, showing a bus with a hole in the roof.
Ukrainian forces also conducted a major drone attack targeting Moscow, with Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin reporting that from Sunday night into Monday morning, more than 400 drones were launched toward the Russian capital city. Russian officials said most of the drones were intercepted, and the governor of the Moscow Oblast said at least 10 people, including a child, were injured during the barrage.
At least two other Russians were killed by drone attacks on Monday, including an on-duty firefighter in the Bryansk Oblast and a 20-year-old in the Kursk Oblast, bringing the death toll as a result of Ukraine’s drone swarm on Monday to at least seven.
Ukrainian officials claimed the attacks hit an oil depot and logistical facilities inside Russia. President Trump recently expressed support for Ukraine’s long-range attacks on Russian oil infrastructure, which are supported by US intelligence, meaning the drone operations always risk an escalation between NATO and Russia.
Russian missiles and drones have continued to pound Ukrainian cities, with at least eight people killed by Russian attacks in Ukraine on Sunday. Ukrainian officials also reported a Russian strike on a ship carrying corn near Odessa on Sunday, and the death toll in the attack has risen to 10.
