Ukrainian Drone Strikes Kill Three in Russia’s Belgorod Region, Bus Attack Injures 19

Three people were killed and at least 19 others injured in a series of Ukrainian drone strikes in Russia’s Belgorod region on Tuesday, according to Russian regional officials, as cross-border attacks continued to intensify along the frontier.

Authorities said two people died after a drone struck a business in a village near the Ukrainian border. A separate drone attack killed another person in a town outside the regional capital, which is also named Belgorod.

One of the most serious incidents occurred in the border town of Shebekino, where a passenger bus came under attack. Officials said 19 people were injured, with all but one taken to hospital for treatment. Emergency services responded to the scene while investigators assessed the damage.

Russia’s Foreign Ministry condemned the bus attack, accusing Ukraine of deliberately targeting civilian transportation.

Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said the latest incident demonstrated what she described as Ukraine’s continued attacks on public transport.

She accused Kyiv of striking buses “with a maniacal persistence,” claiming the attacks were intended to take revenge on civilians as Russian forces made gains on the battlefield. Zakharova did not provide evidence to support the allegation.

Russian authorities have repeatedly accused Ukraine of carrying out drone strikes against buses and other civilian targets in several regions bordering Ukraine. Moscow has said such attacks form part of a broader campaign aimed at disrupting daily life in border communities.

Russian-installed officials in occupied areas of Ukraine’s Donetsk region also reported another alleged drone attack on Tuesday. They said five people were injured after a bus was struck in territory under Russian control.

Russian authorities also referred to an earlier incident last month in which they accused Ukraine of attacking a bus transporting Belarusian children to a holiday destination. According to Russian officials, that strike killed one woman and injured six children.

Ukraine’s military rejected the accusations, describing them as false and denying responsibility for attacks targeting civilian buses.

Belgorod, which borders northeastern Ukraine, has experienced frequent shelling, missile strikes and drone attacks since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. The region has become one of the most heavily affected areas inside Russia because of its proximity to the fighting.

Both Russia and Ukraine have increasingly relied on drones during the conflict, using them to strike military infrastructure, logistics facilities and strategic targets far from the front lines. The growing use of unmanned aircraft has expanded the reach of the war, bringing attacks deeper into both countries.

The latest violence comes as fighting continues across multiple sectors of the front, with neither side showing signs of reducing military operations despite ongoing international calls for a negotiated settlement. Russian authorities said investigations into Tuesday’s attacks were continuing, while emergency crews remained deployed in the affected areas.