At least 33 people were killed and 18 others wounded when a Russian glide bomb struck two civilian buses in the frontline city of Kramatorsk, according to reports.
The latest strike follows a Russian attack on the central Ukrainian city of Pryluky that destroyed a five-storey residential building and killed 22 people, including five children, BBC reported, citing Ukrainian officials
Russian attacks have also intensified around Kyiv. Mayor Vitali Klitschko said three people were killed and 14 injured in attacks on Thursday, with two of the wounded in critical condition.
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Donetsk Governor Vadym Filashkin said the buses were transporting passengers when they came under attack, and alleged that Russian forces had intentionally struck the vehicles.
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Ukraine's Prosecutor General's Office released images showing one of the buses engulfed in flames, with debris scattered across the road. The attack comes amid a sharp rise in civilian casualties in Ukraine. Ukrainian officials say the latest strike is part of a broader escalation in Russian attacks across the country.
The United Nations has said Ukraine recorded more civilian deaths in the first eight months of this year than in the whole of 2025.
Kramatorsk and neighbouring Slovyansk form part of a strategic belt of cities in Donetsk that Russia is seeking to capture as Moscow pushes to seize the remaining Ukrainian-held territory in the region.
Following the latest attack, Filashkin said public transport in Kramatorsk and Slovyansk had been ordered to stop because of the deteriorating security situation.
He urged residents who remain in Donetsk region to relocate to safer parts of Ukraine. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy condemned the attacks and called on Kyiv's international partners to provide new defence packages, including air-defence systems.
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