The war in Ukraine has been ongoing for four and a half years, and both sides have recently intensified attacks, with the United Nations (UN) warning of a growing number of civilian casualties.
“Eight people died at the scene due to the horrific attack,” and a 20-year-old woman died in hospital from her injuries, said Leonid Pasechnik, who commands Russian occupation forces in the Luhansk region.
Pasechnik claimed that there were 15 passengers on the bus, which was traveling from the city of Lysychansk to Stakhanov, further south.
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According to him, the 20-year-old woman died in the intensive care unit, while her mother, an 18-year-old woman, and three other people were injured.
He called this strike a “war crime.”
Russian forces are in full control of the Luhansk region in Eastern Ukraine.
US-brokered peace talks aimed at ending the war have long been stalled, and the Kremlin shows no willingness to soften its maximalist demands for the capture of the rest of Eastern Ukraine.
