KYIV, Ukraine — Two people died and seven others sustained injuries when a Russian drone struck a public bus in the southern Ukrainian city of Kherson during the early morning hours of Saturday, according to local authorities.
Regional Governor Oleksandr Prokudin reported via Telegram that the majority of victims were municipal utility employees. Prokudin shared photographs from the scene displaying the damaged vehicle with shattered windows and bloodstains visible on the bus floor.
Ukraine’s human rights ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets characterized the incident as evidence of deliberate targeting of non-combatants. “Such attacks are part of a systemic policy of terror against the civilian population,” Lubinets stated on the Telegram messaging platform.
The city of Kherson holds strategic significance as the sole regional capital that Russian military forces managed to capture during their comprehensive 2022 invasion. While Ukrainian forces successfully retook the city later that same year, it has faced increasing bombardment from Russian positions situated across the Dnipro River.
Both Ukrainian authorities and international human rights organizations have documented what they describe as intentional and coordinated small-drone strikes targeting civilian populations in frontline areas, with Kherson experiencing particularly frequent attacks.
The southern Odesa region also faced overnight strikes, continuing a pattern of near-daily Russian attacks that has persisted for several months, according to regional governor Oleh Kiper. He reported damage to a port warehouse and surrounding structures via Telegram.
Ukrainian air defense forces successfully intercepted 142 of the 163 long-range drones that Russia deployed during the overnight assault, military officials announced.
