Russia Accuses Ukraine of Deadly Attack on Bus Carrying Belarusian Schoolchildren
Details and Reactions to the Alleged Attack
Russian Claims and Official Statements
MOSCOW, June 17 (Reuters) - Russia accused Ukraine of conducting a deadly drone strike on a bus carrying Belarusian schoolchildren on Wednesday, an allegation that Ukraine's military said was "false".
Yegor Kovalchuk, the acting governor of Russia's Bryansk region, which borders Ukraine, said the bus had been taking a children's soccer team for a holiday in southern Russia from Belarus. Russia's Foreign Ministry, which called the attack "another monstrous crime," said a woman accompanying the children had been killed and that eight others, including six children, had been injured.
Ukrainian Response
The Ukrainian military's General Staff denied the Russian allegation, saying on Telegram that "during the specified period, the Defence Forces of Ukraine did not employ unmanned aerial vehicles against targets in Bryansk Oblast."
Verification and Evidence
Reuters was unable to verify the report. Both sides deny targeting civilians.
Kovalchuk, the acting governor, posted images online showing a silver bus with some of its windows blown out, its front right tyre damaged and what looked like blood stains on some of its interior seats.
Investigation and Previous Incidents
Russian Investigation
Russian investigators opened a terrorism investigation and said the bus, which was travelling from Gomel in Belarus to Gelendzhik in Russia, had been carrying 44 passengers, including 28 children.
Earlier Accusations
Russia accused Ukraine this month of another drone attack on a bus which it said killed eight civilians and wounded 11 more in a Russian-controlled part of the Donetsk region in eastern Ukraine.
Context of Ongoing Conflict
Russia has regularly hit Ukrainian towns and cities such as Kyiv since it began its war in Ukraine in February 2022. Kyiv has increased drone strikes on Russia in recent months to try to weaken Moscow's economy and force an end to a war in which thousands of Ukrainian civilians have been killed.
(Reporting by Andrew Osborn and Kyiv Buro, Editing by Timothy Heritage)
