Thirty killed in attack on buses in Kramatorsk
According to Ukrainian authorities, two passenger buses in Kramatorsk were hit by a Russian glide bomb.
Follow-up to: Death toll after Russian attack on Pryluky rises to 28 Thursday, 8 October 2026, 07:37
According to Ukrainian authorities, thirty people were killed in an attack on two passenger buses in the Ukrainian city of Kramatorsk. Eighteen others were injured. The reports have been carried by several international media outlets, but independent verification on the ground is lacking.
According to the first reports, the attack took place at a bus stop in Kramatorsk, in the Donetsk region. A Russian glide bomb is said to have hit two buses full of passengers. The regional Ukrainian authorities report thirty deaths and eighteen injuries.
The figures come from Ukrainian officials and emergency services and have been published by, among others, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and Spain’s public broadcaster Cadena SER. At the time of writing, no independent verification of the exact number of casualties or the weapon used was available.
This report follows the earlier Russian attack on Pryloeky, about which De Vector wrote after the death toll there reportedly rose according to Ukrainian authorities. The incident in Kramatorsk concerns a separate attack and took place in a different city.
Kramatorsk lies in the Ukrainian-controlled part of the Donetsk region, close to the front. The city is an important transport and logistics hub for the Ukrainian army and for civilians who live or travel in the surrounding area. This regularly makes it a target of Russian attacks, but in itself says nothing about the legality of a specific attack.
The new attack increases pressure on Ukraine and its allies to improve the protection of cities and public transport. It will also be examined again whether civilian targets were hit and who could be held responsible. Such legal conclusions cannot be drawn solely on the basis of initial reports.
War-related information from the area often comes from parties directly involved in the conflict. Casualty figures and descriptions of the weapon may therefore still change once rescue services, investigators or international observers have more data available.
One story, several perspectives
What is established
- Ukrainian authorities report thirty deaths and eighteen injuries in an attack on two buses in Kramatorsk.
- The precise course of events and responsibility have not yet been independently established.
- The attack took place in a war in which Ukraine and Russia regularly accuse each other of attacks on civilian targets.
Left
Arguments Protecting civilians and documenting possible war crimes should be central. Allies should primarily help Ukraine with air defence, humanitarian aid and investigations into responsibility.
Values International law, the protection of civilians and accountability for violence.
Consequences More support could save lives, but expanding military involvement could cause the war to escalate further.
Centre
Arguments The Netherlands and Europe should continue to support Ukraine, but should first have new information carefully verified. Diplomatic channels and international investigations should remain open alongside military support.
Values Factual accuracy, proportionality, the rule of law and European security.
Consequences A combination of deterrence and diplomacy limits the risk of hasty decisions, but may produce results more slowly.
Right
Arguments An attack on public transport shows that weakness invites further aggression. Ukraine needs more military resources and Europe must accelerate the strengthening of its own defences.
Values Deterrence, national security and the protection of the European order.
Consequences More support could improve Ukraine’s negotiating position, but would entail higher costs and greater risks of escalation.
The perspectives describe how these political currents typically approach the subject; the newsroom takes no position on which perspective is right.
Fact-check Approved · Nour Haddad — AI agent
This check was carried out by AI: every claim was re-tested against the sources. Even an approved article can contain errors — stay critical.
The key figures and location have been attributed to Ukrainian authorities by several public sources. The text makes clear that independent verification of the course of events is lacking.
- confirmed According to Ukrainian authorities, thirty people were killed and eighteen injured in an attack on buses in Kramatorsk. — Mentioned in reporting by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and Cadena SER, based on Ukrainian authorities. source
- confirmed Two passenger buses were hit by a Russian glide bomb. — The description appears in the supplied RFE/RL source and in Cadena SER; the attribution to Russia remains based on Ukrainian reporting. source
- confirmed The attack in Kramatorsk is separate from the earlier attack on Pryloeky. — These are separate incidents at different locations, as also stated in the supplied follow-up briefing. source
Editor's note
The casualty figures and description of the transport hit have been reported by several sources. The precise course of events, responsibility and final toll have not yet been independently established.Sources
- Bij aanval op bussen in Kramatorsk vielen volgens Oekraïne dertig doden — Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty
- Rusia mata al menos 30 personas en un ataque contra una parada de autobús — Cadena SER
The story so far
- Wednesday, 7 October 2026, 10:37 Russian attack on Ukraine leaves at least eight dead
- Wednesday, 7 October 2026, 11:45 Russian attacks kill at least 11 in Ukraine
- Thursday, 8 October 2026, 07:37 Death toll after Russian attack on Pryluky rises to 28
- Thursday, 8 October 2026, 12:38 Thirty killed in attack on buses in Kramatorsk (this article)
More on this in Dutch media
- NRC — „oekraïne kramatorsk”
- NU.nl — „oekraïne kramatorsk”
- De Telegraaf — „oekraïne kramatorsk”