The death toll from the impact of a drone launched by the Ukrainian Army against a bus in the province of Donetsk, in the east of the country and almost entirely under Russian control, has risen to eight, according to the pro-Russian authorities of the region.
The pro-Russian governor of Donetsk, Denis Pushilin, had initially stated in a social media message that seven civilians had lost their lives and eleven people had been injured. Later, in statements to the Russian news agency Interfax, he specified that one of the injured had died in the last few hours.
In this context, Pushilin has denounced "another act of inhuman and unprecedented aggression by the Ukrainian fascists" and explained that the bus was hit in Yenakieve when it was traveling between Simferopol and Moscow. He also conveyed his condolences to the relatives and families of the victims.
The spokeswoman for the Russian Investigative Committee, Svetlana Petrenko, has confirmed that a criminal proceeding for "terrorist attack" has been opened in relation to what happened. She added that the body is already working to clarify the "details" of the attack and "the specific individuals who have been involved."
Following the announcement, the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated in a statement that "the Kiev regime has once again demonstrated its Nazi and inhuman essence by committing another cynical and bloody crime" and also described the incident as a "terrorist attack."
In the same note, the Ministry stressed that "it should be noted that, after the bombing, reconnaissance drones of the Ukrainian Armed Forces were sighted in the skies over the scene of the tragedy, which, apparently, were recording the consequences of the war crime committed," before accusing the Ukrainian authorities that "the Kiev regime, defeated on the battlefield, seeks to vent its impotent anger against defenseless civilians."
Therefore, the Ministry urged "all responsible governments, relevant international organizations, and independent media" to "condemn this brutal terrorist attack" and warned that "silence in the face of this crime by Kiev and other bloody atrocities is equivalent to approving the inhuman policies of the regime of (Ukrainian President Volodymyr) Zelensky."
In parallel, the Russian Ministry of Defense has reported that in the last few hours, 354 drones have been shot down over the regions of Moscow, Belgorod, Bryansk, Voronezh, Kaluga, Kursk, Leningrad, Novgorod, Oryol, Pskov, Rostov, Smolensk, Tver, Tula, and Krasnodar.
Likewise, it has indicated that Russian air defense systems have also intercepted several unmanned aerial vehicles over the waters of the Sea of Azov and on the Crimean peninsula, annexed by Russia in 2014, a decision that continues to be unrecognized by the international community.
The provinces of Donetsk and Luhansk, which make up the Donbas region, had already been immersed in an armed conflict since 2014 between the Ukrainian Army and pro-Russian separatist authorities. Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, a few days after recognizing the independence of the self-proclaimed republics of Donetsk and Luhansk.