A recent Russian drone strike near a company shuttle bus in eastern Ukraine has resulted in the deaths of twelve people, according to regional officials.
Regional military administration chief Oleksandr Ganzha reported on Telegram that seven others were also injured in the attack, which occurred in the Pavlohrad district.
We are investigating the details. An air alert is ongoing in the region, Ganzha stated.
The targeted vehicle was transporting employees from DTEK, Ukraine's largest private energy company, who were returning from a shift at the mine. DTEK has characterized the strike as a purposeful assault against its workers, stating that a total of 15 individuals were killed.
This incident follows a series of assaults, including nine injuries reported from an earlier attack and a separate drone strike that hit a maternity hospital in Zaporizhzhia. Local officials confirmed that among the injured were two women undergoing examinations at the time of the hospital strike.
Regional head Ivan Fedorov described these attacks as further evidence of a war being waged against everyday life, with all injured individuals receiving necessary medical assistance. He shared tragic images depicting smoke and debris following the attack.
In total, three additional fatalities occurred due to separate attacks in Kherson and Dnipro, raising alarm over the continuing violence amid freezing temperatures that are expected to plunge below -20C this weekend.
The impacts of these assaults extend beyond individual tragedies; they also strain Ukraine’s power grid which has been targeted recently, complicating efforts to maintain heat and electricity as the country grapples with winter weather conditions.
This escalation comes despite claims from US President Donald Trump that Russian President Vladimir Putin had agreed to pause attacks on major Ukrainian cities during the cold snap. However, reports indicate that hostilities have persisted.
