Ukraine security service accuses Russia of staging bus attack on Belarusian children

Ukraine's Security Service has asserted that an attack on a bus carrying children from Belarus in Russia's Bryansk region was a special operation by Russian intelligence services. Kyiv denies any involvement in the incident, which occurred Wednesday morning and resulted in the death of one woman and injuries to several people, including children.

Ukraine's intelligence service stated it intercepted a Russian document indicating no Ukrainian drones were in the airspace at the time of the attack. The document, whose authenticity cannot be independently verified, reportedly came from the "Safe Region" observation center. Radar operators in the area also reportedly did not confirm the presence of Ukrainian drones.

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko described the incident as a provocation aimed at drawing Belarus into the war. While not directly identifying the perpetrator, he suggested a "drone of Ukrainian origin" was responsible. He stated Minsk expects a truthful and real response from Ukrainian officials.

However, Ukraine has categorically denied any connection to the bus attack. The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported on Wednesday that drones were not attacking the Bryansk region at that time. Ukraine's Human Rights Commissioner, Dmytro Lubinets, contacted Belarusian counterparts to reject Ukraine's involvement and accused Russia of staging the provocation. He also agreed to participate in a transparent investigation.

Russia, meanwhile, accused Ukraine of a "terrorist attack" and a deliberate strike on the bus. The Belarusian Foreign Ministry condemned the attack, advising citizens to avoid conflict zones and border regions. Lukashenko also advised against sending children on holidays to Russia without state permission, suggesting ample training and football facilities exist within Belarus.