By Kabiru Abdulrauf
In one of the deadliest attacks on civilians in recent months, a Russian drone strike on Wednesday hit a bus carrying workers in the Ukrainian city of Marhanets, leaving nine people dead and 49 injured. The strike has drawn sharp condemnation from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who labeled it a “deliberate war crime.”
The targeted bus was transporting employees of a local mining and processing plant, according to Zelenskyy. “An ordinary bus. Clearly a civilian object, a civilian target,” he said in a post on X (formerly Twitter). “It was an egregiously brutal attack – and an absolutely deliberate war crime.”
The Ukrainian air force reported that Russia launched 134 attack drones across the country overnight, marking one of the most intense aerial bombardments in recent memory. The drone strike on Marhanets—located on the Ukrainian-controlled north bank of the Dnipro River—highlights the growing threat to non-combatants in front-line regions.
Regional governor Serhiy Lysak confirmed the casualties, adding that emergency services were working tirelessly to aid the wounded and assess further damage.
As the attack unfolded, Ukrainian officials arrived in London to discuss pathways to a ceasefire, even as several global foreign ministers opted out of the talks.
The tragedy in Marhanets reinforces the urgent international calls for de-escalation and a renewed push for peace in a conflict that continues to claim civilian lives with alarming regularity.
