At least 30 people were killed and 18 others injured after a Russian strike hit two passenger buses in Kramatorsk, a frontline city in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region, on Thursday, October 8, 2026.

Ukrainian authorities said the attack involved a Russian glide bomb and struck the buses as they were operating in the city. The death toll was initially reported at 12 before officials later revised it to 30, while the number of injured was updated to 18.

Donetsk Governor Vadym Filashkin accused Russia of deliberately targeting civilians and described the attack as a serious deterioration in the security situation around Kramatorsk.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky also condemned the strike and said the attack would not go unanswered. He called on Ukraine's international partners to increase support for the country's defence capabilities amid the intensifying attacks.

Following the attack, authorities suspended public transport in Kramatorsk and neighbouring Sloviansk as a precaution.

Three additional people were reportedly killed by shelling in the nearby village of Bilenke, bringing the reported regional death toll from Thursday's attacks to 33.

The Kramatorsk attack came only a day after another deadly Russian strike in the northern Chernihiv region.

In Pryluky, a Russian missile strike killed 22 people, including five children, according to Ukrainian officials. More than 50 people were reported injured in that attack.

The latest attacks have intensified concerns about civilian safety as Russia and Ukraine continue to exchange long-range strikes more than four years after Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022.

Ukrainian authorities have repeatedly accused Russia of deliberately attacking civilian areas, while Moscow has consistently denied deliberately targeting civilians and says its strikes are directed at military or strategically important targets.

Kramatorsk remains one of the most important Ukrainian-held cities in the northern part of Donetsk. The city has faced repeated attacks as Russian forces continue to press towards Ukraine's defensive positions in the region.

The worsening security situation has also affected daily life in the area, with authorities taking measures to restrict public transportation following Thursday's attack.

The latest violence comes amid renewed international diplomatic efforts surrounding the war. Zelensky has continued to call on the United States and other allies to increase pressure on Moscow and provide additional support to Ukraine.

The United Kingdom has also announced fresh sanctions against Russia, while British Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband visited Pryluky following Wednesday's deadly attack.

The two-day sequence of attacks has resulted in more than 70 deaths from Russian strikes across Ukraine, according to Reuters' latest reporting, highlighting the continuing toll of the conflict on civilians.

Reporting by TalkNaijaMedia