Russian drone kills 12 in attack on bus in eastern Ukraine
In a tragic new escalation of the war in Eastern Europe, at least 12 people were killed and others injured when a Russian drone strike targeted a civilian bus carrying miners in the Dnipropetrovsk region of east-central Ukraine. This incident deepens the humanitarian crisis in areas near the front lines, where civilians continue to bear the brunt of the ongoing conflict.
Details of the deadly attack on the miners
Ukrainian authorities confirmed on Sunday that a drone strike targeted a bus belonging to DTEK, Ukraine's largest private energy company. According to a company statement, the victims were returning home after finishing their shift at a mining facility in the region. The incident occurred near the town of Ternivka, approximately 65 kilometers from the active front line, indicating a widening scope of attacks into the region's economic hinterland.
Images released by the Ukrainian Emergency Situations Ministry showed the extent of the damage to the bus, with shattered side and front windows and blood and debris scattered at the scene. The head of the regional military administration, Oleksandr Ganza, stated on Telegram: "An enemy drone crashed near a company bus in the Pavlograd region. Initial estimates indicate 12 people were killed and seven others injured," describing the incident as a horrific crime against unarmed workers.
Context of escalation and targeting of infrastructure
This attack is not an isolated incident, but rather part of a series of intensified strikes by Russian forces against infrastructure and energy facilities in Ukraine. The Dnipropetrovsk region is a vital industrial center, and its coal mines play a crucial role in supplying power plants with the fuel needed to generate electricity, especially during harsh winters and when power grids are targeted. Targeting workers in these sectors places additional strain on the Ukrainian economy and its ability to withstand the challenges.
In a related development reflecting the widening scope of the bombing campaign, the Zaporizhzhia region of southern Ukraine witnessed another attack earlier on Sunday, when a Russian drone struck a maternity hospital. This attack injured at least seven people, including two women who were undergoing medical examinations, according to the regional governor. These simultaneous attacks are raising growing international concern about the safety of civilians and medical facilities, which are protected under international humanitarian law.
Alarming statistics and the drone war
These events highlight the increasing reliance on drones in the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, which now pose a daily threat to both residential and industrial areas. In this regard, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy revealed alarming statistics on the scale of the aerial attacks in a social media post on Sunday.
Zelensky noted that in January alone, Russia launched more than 6,000 drones, 5,000 projectiles, and 158 missiles toward Ukrainian territory. These staggering figures confirm the continuation of its aerial attrition strategy, posing immense challenges to Ukraine's air defense systems and making daily life for civilians in the eastern and southern regions constantly precarious.
