Russia: Ukrainian strike on bus in Belgorod region kills five
Russia reported that a Ukrainian attack on a bus in the Belgorod border region killed five civilians, including a minor, while Ukraine's massive drone attack on Moscow wounded at least 10 people.
Russia said Monday that a Ukrainian strike on a bus in the Belgorod region, which borders Ukraine, killed five civilians, including one minor, and left three others critically injured. The attack came after a Ukrainian retaliatory strike on Moscow, with city officials reporting that more than 400 drones targeted the Russian capital. Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said most drones were intercepted, but Moscow region Gov. Andrei Vorobyov stated that at least 10 people were wounded by Ukrainian drones. Several residential buildings and civilian infrastructure facilities were also damaged.
The latest escalation followed Russian ballistic missile strikes on Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities over the weekend. In eastern Ukraine, Russian attacks on Pavlograd and Kramatorsk killed two people in each city, according to local authorities. Officials also reported one person killed in the southern city of Zaporizhzhia during Russian bombardment. Both sides have previously denied targeting civilians.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukrainian forces were targeting Russian logistics facilities and an oil depot in the region. "We are responding justly to every Russian strike against our cities and communities," Zelenskyy posted on X.
Meanwhile, Ukraine's military publicly denied rumors that Zelenskyy was firing the chief of Ukraine's armed forces, Oleksandr Syrskyi. Zelenskyy has faced criticism over the dismissal of Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov last week. There have been days of protests in Ukraine following Fedorov's removal, as a long-running dispute between the reform-minded minister and Syrskyi spilled into the open. Zelenskyy appointed Yevhenii Khmara, the acting head of Ukraine's Security Service (SBU), as acting defense minister and asked parliament to approve him for the position. On Monday, he posted several messages on social media showing him meeting with Ukraine's top military commanders to discuss the latest developments in the war, which has dragged on for more than four years.
