Ukraine's SBU calls attack on bus carrying Belarusian children in Bryansk region 'a Russian intelligence operation'

Ukraine's Security Service (SBU) announced that it has intercepted a Russian document confirming that Ukrainian forces were not involved in the attack on a bus carrying children in the Bryansk region. According to Ukrainian intelligence, the document is an information report from the monitoring center of the state-owned institution "Bezopasny Region" ("Safe Region").

The report states that at the time of the attack, no Ukrainian drones were present in the airspace over Bryansk's Pochepsky district. Neither the duty officer of the radar battalion in the settlement of Suponevo nor the duty officer of the 32nd Division confirmed the presence of Ukrainian drones. The report is signed by S. V. Klimenkova, the chief engineer of the monitoring center.

The SBU said it has grounds to believe the attack on the bus carrying Belarusian citizens in the Bryansk region was a special operation by Russian intelligence services.

Acting Bryansk Region Governor Yegor Kovalchuk said on June 17 that Ukrainian drones had struck a bus carrying a children's soccer team from Belarus traveling from Gomel to Gelendzhik. One adult accompanying the group was killed, and seven others were injured, including five children. Russian authorities have opened a criminal case on terrorism charges.

Ukraine's General Staff stated that Ukrainian forces had not used drones to carry out strikes in the Bryansk region during the specified period and called Russia's accusations a provocation.