Explosions Rock Kyiv as Ukrainian Drone Targets Children's Bus in Belarus

SadaNews - Ukrainian officials reported early Thursday morning that Russia launched several missiles at targets within Ukraine, including the capital Kyiv. Meanwhile, Belarusian authorities announced that a children's transport bus was attacked by a Ukrainian drone.

The military governor of Kyiv, Tymur Tkachenko, stated via Telegram: "The enemy is attacking the capital with ballistic missiles," without immediately indicating any casualties.

Several explosions were heard in central Kyiv, as people were seen running in the streets towards shelters. The Ukrainian Air Force reported that at least two missiles were headed towards Kyiv, while another missile was directed at the Poltava region in central Ukraine.

More than four years after the outbreak of war in Ukraine, both Russian and Ukrainian sides have intensified air strikes in recent months, leading to an increase in civilian casualties.

Despite his usual reluctance to support Kyiv, U.S. President Donald Trump announced last Tuesday during the G7 summit in Evian, France, that Russia should "reach an agreement," and that Washington might reimpose sanctions lifted from Moscow.

Last Monday, a heavy Russian bombardment with drones and missiles resulted in the deaths of 11 people across Ukraine and caused damage to an ancient cathedral in Kyiv that is listed as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.

In the Russian-controlled Luhansk region of Ukraine, one person was killed yesterday, Wednesday, in a Ukrainian attack on a residential building, and a woman was killed in her car, according to local authorities appointed by Moscow.

Ukrainian Attacks

Meanwhile, Ukraine continues to carry out targeted attacks on Russian positions using drones, as one of its drones hit a bus carrying a children's football team from Belarus in the border region of Bryansk, resulting in the death of an accompanying woman, according to local authorities on Wednesday.

The Belarusian health ministry stated that the strike in the border area with Ukraine also resulted in the injury of seven people, including five children, all of whom were taken to the hospital.

Footage from a Belarusian television channel showed a gray bus with shrapnel marks on one side and shattered windows. Local sources reported that the bus was carrying 44 people, including 28 children.

The acting governor of the Bryansk region, Yegor Kovalchuk, stated on a social media platform that "the bus was on its way to spend a holiday in Gelendzhik," located on the Russian Black Sea coast.

The Belarusian foreign ministry described the strike as a "new terrorist act against civilians" and demanded "explanations" from Kyiv.

In turn, the Ukrainian military denied launching drones towards the Bryansk region at the mentioned time, describing the Belarusian statements as "false."

Belarus, which borders Ukraine and the eastern flank countries of NATO, is a close ally of Russia, while relations between the Minsk capital and Kyiv have been strained since Russia used its territory as a launchpad for a large-scale attack in 2022.