Seven people are dead and 11 injured after a drone decided a passenger bus traveling through Russia-controlled Ukraine was a worthy target, according to Denis Pushilin, the Kremlin-installed leader of the Donetsk region. The bus was making its way from Moscow to Simferopol in occupied Crimea early Wednesday when it was struck - a commute that already sounded grim before the aerial intervention.
As if to prove that no good deed goes unpunished, black smoke also rose over St Petersburg on Wednesday morning, with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky confirming the city's oil terminal had been hit. The attack coincides with the International Economic Forum, an event meant to showcase Russia to the world - perhaps not the kind of showcase the Kremlin had in mind.
These strikes come a day after Russia launched a massive assault on cities across Ukraine, killing at least 22 people, including several women and children. Russia's defence ministry called that attack a response to Ukrainian strikes, claiming all "strike objectives" were achieved. The Kremlin added that "this practice will continue," which is a diplomatic way of saying, "We're not done yet."
On the bus hit in Donetsk, Pushilin reported that a UAV attacked the Moscow-Simferopol coach, killing seven civilians. The 11 injured are receiving medical care, which is at least one piece of good news. Ukraine has not commented on the incident, perhaps because they were busy hitting other things.
Russia says it shot down 350 Ukrainian drones overnight, including at least 50 over the Leningrad region, home to St Petersburg. The regional governor, Alexander Drozdenko, confirmed the downings, while Pulkovo airport temporarily restricted flights - just in case any delegates to the economic forum were hoping for a smooth landing.
Zelensky described the overnight strikes as "long-range sanctions," sharing a video of black smoke over St Petersburg and confirming hits on military targets in Russia's Tambov region. Meanwhile, an 86-year-old woman was killed by a drone in Ukraine's southern Kherson region, part of Moscow's overnight attack of 198 drones, 189 of which were shot down.
All of this follows one of Russia's largest attacks since its full-scale invasion began in 2022 - more than 700 missiles and drones launched overnight into Tuesday, killing at least 22 people. The Kremlin says these are "systematic strikes" in response to a Ukrainian attack on a student dormitory in occupied eastern Ukraine in late May. Kyiv says it hit a Russian military unit. The truth, as usual, depends on whose drone you're under.