On June 17, a drone allegedly attacked a bus carrying a Belarusian children’s football team in the Bryansk region of Russia. The incident resulted in the death of a woman accompanying the children and left several others injured.
The bus was en route from the city of Rechitsa to Gelendzhik when it was struck on the Gomyel-Bryansk highway. According to Belarusian Health Minister Alexander Khodzaev, eight individuals sustained injuries of varying severity, including six children, two of whom are reportedly in serious condition.
In total, the bus had 44 passengers, comprising 28 children. All injured parties were promptly transported to a hospital for medical treatment.
The Belarusian Foreign Ministry condemned the attack on the civilian bus and attributed responsibility to Ukraine, demanding comprehensive explanations from the Ukrainian government.
“We strongly condemn the attack on a civilian bus carrying Belarusian citizens, including children, in the Bryansk region of the Russian Federation. We regard this as yet another act of terrorism against peaceful civilians,” stated the Belarusian Foreign Ministry.
In response, Svetlana Petrenko, a representative of the Russian Investigative Committee, announced that a criminal case has been initiated regarding the alleged attack by Ukrainian armed forces on the passenger bus.
“On June 17, Ukrainian armed forces conducted a drone strike on a two-story bus from the children’s sports school No. 2 in Rechitsa. The vehicle was traveling from the Republic of Belarus on the route ‘Gomyel – Gelendzhik’ and had 44 passengers, including 28 young athletes heading for a vacation,” Petrenko reported.
The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine refuted these claims, labeling them as another information provocation from the Kremlin.
“We emphasize that during the specified period, the Ukrainian Defense Forces did not deploy drones against targets in the Bryansk region… Facing significant battlefield losses and unable to achieve stated objectives, the Russian Federation increasingly resorts to information manipulation and fabricating accusations against Ukraine,” the statement read.
The Ukrainian military reiterated that their operations are exclusively aimed at military targets and do not involve actions against civilian populations.
This story is ongoing.
A drone strike in Russia's Bryansk region targeted a bus carrying a Belarusian children's football team, resulting in one death and multiple injuries. Belarus has blamed Ukraine for the attack, while Ukrainian officials have denied the allegations.