Drone hits bus in Russian-held Donetsk, killing seven

A drone struck a passenger bus in a Russian-controlled part of eastern Ukraine early Wednesday, killing seven people and injuring 11, the Kremlin-installed leader of the Donetsk region said, as Russia and Ukraine traded another wave of long-range attacks.

Denis Pushilin said the bus was travelling between Moscow and Simferopol, in Russian-occupied Crimea, when it was hit in Yenakiyevo. “In Yenakiyevo, a UAV attacked a Moscow-Simferopol coach; according to preliminary reports, seven civilians were killed,” he said, according to the BBC.

Pushilin said the 11 injured passengers were receiving medical care. Al Jazeera reported that he wrote on Telegram: “A further 11 people sustained injuries of varying severity, and all are receiving the necessary medical care.”

Ukraine has not commented on the bus strike. Russia’s state news agency Tass reported that the Investigative Committee opened a criminal investigation under the category of “terrorist attack,” citing spokesperson Svetlana Petrenko, according to Al Jazeera.

The reported bus attack came during a night of widespread drone strikes on Russian-held territory and inside Russia. Russian officials said drones were downed over Belgorod, Kursk and other western regions, as well as near Moscow and over the Sea of Azov. Russia’s Ministry of Defence said 354 Ukrainian drones were “intercepted and destroyed” overnight across multiple regions, Al Jazeera reported. The BBC reported that Russia said it shot down 350 Ukrainian drones overnight.

At least 50 drones were downed over the Leningrad region northwest of Moscow, regional governor Alexander Drozdenko said. The region includes St Petersburg, where Russia is hosting its annual International Economic Forum, an event intended to showcase the country to international delegates.

Black smoke rose over St Petersburg on Wednesday morning. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the city’s oil terminal had been hit, sharing video of smoke above the city on X. “Important facilities on Russian territory were hit last night,” he wrote, describing the strikes as “long-range sanctions.” He also said Ukrainian forces hit military targets in Russia’s Tambov region.

Al Jazeera reported that the governor of St Petersburg said Ukrainian drones hit infrastructure in several districts, causing damage and wounding several people. In the Tambov region, Governor Yevgeny Pervyshov said drones hit the city of Michurinsk, damaging outbuildings at an industrial facility, an apartment building and a library.

The overnight strikes temporarily disrupted flights at Pulkovo airport, according to Russian aviation watchdog Rosaviatsia, the BBC reported.

Ukraine also reported new Russian attacks overnight. Yaroslav Shanko, head of the military administration in the southern Ukrainian city of Kherson, said an 86-year-old woman was killed in a drone attack. Ukraine’s air force said Russia launched 198 drones at several regions and that 189 were shot down, according to the BBC.

The latest attacks followed one of Russia’s largest barrages against Ukraine since its full-scale invasion began in 2022. Ukrainian officials told the BBC that Russia launched more than 700 missiles and drones overnight into Tuesday, killing at least 22 people, including women and children. Al Jazeera reported that Ukraine’s air force said Moscow launched 656 drones through the night and into Tuesday morning, with 54 drones and 33 missiles getting through air defences, and that local authorities put the death toll at at least 23.

Russia’s defence ministry said Tuesday’s strikes were a response to previous Ukrainian attacks and that all “strike objectives” had been achieved. The Kremlin said it was carrying out the “systematic strikes” it had pledged after accusing Kyiv of a deadly attack on a student dormitory in Russian-controlled eastern Ukraine in late May. Kyiv said it had hit a Russian military unit.

“This practice will continue,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters Tuesday, saying the strikes were targeting Ukrainian military infrastructure.