Russia Accuses Ukraine of Drone Strike on Bus Carrying Belarusian Children

Russia has accused Ukraine of carrying out a deadly drone strike on a bus transporting Belarusian schoolchildren in the Bryansk region, a claim that Ukraine’s military has strongly denied. The incident has intensified tensions between Moscow, Kyiv, and Belarus amid the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war.

According to Yegor Kovalchuk, the acting governor of Russia’s Bryansk region near the Ukrainian border, the bus was transporting a Belarusian youth soccer team to a holiday destination in southern Russia when it was allegedly targeted. Kovalchuk described the incident as a deliberate attack on civilian transportation and said he personally visited those injured in the strike.

Russia’s Foreign Ministry condemned the event, calling it “another monstrous crime.” Officials reported that one adult woman accompanying the children was killed, while eight others, including six children, were injured. Belarusian authorities later confirmed that an adult and a child remained in serious condition.

Ukraine’s General Staff rejected the allegations, stating that Ukrainian defense forces did not deploy drones against any targets in Russia’s Bryansk region during the period in question. The military labeled the accusation as false and denied involvement in the incident.

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko reportedly ordered the evacuation of all injured Belarusian citizens back to Belarus via air transport. Meanwhile, Belarus’s Foreign Ministry demanded a full explanation from Ukraine regarding the reported attack.

Images shared by Kovalchuk on social media showed a damaged silver bus with shattered windows, a damaged front tire, and apparent blood stains inside. Russian investigators launched a terrorism probe and stated that the vehicle was carrying 44 passengers, including 28 children, while traveling from Gomel, Belarus, to Gelendzhik, Russia.

Reuters noted that it could not independently verify the claims. Both Russia and Ukraine continue to deny intentionally targeting civilians. The alleged attack comes amid a broader escalation of drone warfare, with Ukraine increasing strikes inside Russia while Moscow continues missile and drone attacks on Ukrainian cities throughout the conflict.