Thirty-three people have been killed after Russia launched a glide bomb attack on two civilian buses in the frontline Ukrainian city of Kramatorsk, according to rescue officials. Another 18 people were wounded in Thursday’s strike.
Vadym Filashkin, head of the Donetsk region, accused Russian forces of deliberately targeting passenger buses to maximise civilian casualties. Local prosecutors released images showing the burnt remains of one bus alongside debris and victims scattered across the road.
The attack on Kramatorsk comes amid what officials describe as a dramatic surge in Russian strikes across Ukraine. According to the United Nations, more civilians have been killed in Ukraine by August this year than died during the whole of 2025.
Fortress cities under assault
Kramatorsk and the neighbouring city of Slovyansk form part of what Ukrainian authorities call a “fortress belt” that Moscow is trying to seize as part of its campaign to control the entire Donbas region. The industrial area, which comprises Donetsk and Luhansk regions, has been cited by the Kremlin as justification for its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
With most of Luhansk already under Russian control, Moscow is now attempting to capture the remaining 20 per cent of Donetsk territory still held by Ukraine.
Following Thursday’s attack, Filashkin ordered all public transport in the Donetsk region to cease operations, citing the sharp deterioration in security. “The safety of civilians is paramount, and we have no right to risk the lives of passengers and drivers,” he said, according to the BBC.
Kramatorsk City Council condemned the strike as a “horrific crime committed by the Russian army against the civilian population”, adding that there were “absolutely no military targets” at the location.
Wave of deadly strikes
The bus attack follows a particularly deadly week for Ukrainian civilians. On Wednesday morning, a Russian missile destroyed a five-storey block of flats in Pryluky, east of Kyiv, killing 22 people including five children. Three of the children killed were only one year old.
Russian forces are also launching constant air raids on the capital. Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko reported that attacks on Thursday killed three people and injured 14 others, with two in critical condition. The raids force schoolchildren to abandon classes for shelters, disrupt public transport and close businesses.
Water authorities in Kyiv warned on Thursday that pressure was dropping across the city’s right bank due to power cuts caused by Russian attacks on energy infrastructure.
Kramatorsk, which has served as a logistics and supply hub for the Ukrainian military throughout much of the war, now faces almost daily Russian attacks as Moscow’s forces advance from the east. Glide bombs – conventional explosives fitted with winglets that allow them to glide towards targets rather than simply fall – have become a particular threat. In late August, as many as nine glide bombs were fired at Kramatorsk in a single day.
What this means for Poles in Poland
The escalation in Russian attacks on Ukrainian civilians underscores the continued instability on Poland’s eastern border. Warsaw has been one of Kyiv’s strongest supporters, recently pledging to transfer at least 29 F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine and hosting a Swedish deployment of 100 troops and Patriot batteries to protect NATO infrastructure on Polish soil.
For Poles, particularly those with family or business ties in Ukraine, the surge in civilian casualties highlights the humanitarian crisis continuing to unfold next door. Poland remains a key destination for Ukrainian refugees, and the intensification of Russian strikes may drive further displacement.
The involvement of NATO forces on Polish territory, including the recent Swedish deployment, reflects the alliance’s assessment that the security situation in the region remains serious. Poles should remain aware of their government’s ongoing defence preparations, including the £45 billion allocated for defence in Poland’s 2027 budget.
