Nine Killed in Drone Strike on Minibus in Russian-Occupied Luhansk

Russian-installed authorities in the Luhansk region of eastern Ukraine reported that a drone strike on a minibus killed at least nine people and injured six others. The incident occurred in the part of Luhansk that Russia claims to control. According to Leonid Pasechnik, the Moscow-appointed governor of the region, the bus was carrying 15 passengers and was en route from Lysychansk to Kadiivka, a route situated approximately 50 kilometers from the current front lines.

Details surrounding the attack remain contested, as is common in the ongoing conflict. Kyiv consistently denies accusations of targeting civilians. The reports of the drone strike emerged amidst broader claims of military actions in the region. Separately, local media reported that Ukrainian forces had targeted the Russian-occupied capital of the neighboring Donetsk region, also named Donetsk. Social media footage showed a large plume of smoke rising from the city, though information about potential casualties from that strike was not immediately available.

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The bus with 15 passengers was traveling from Lysychansk to Kadiivka. This road is 50 km from the front line.

Russia has been engaged in a full-scale war against neighboring Ukraine since February 2022, with Moscow asserting claims over significant portions of Ukraine's southern and eastern territories. The Luhansk region is considered to be almost entirely under Russian control. The reported drone strike on the minibus underscores the continued violence and the significant risks faced by civilians in the occupied territories.

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Kyiv regularly rejects accusations of attacks against civilians.