Eight people are dead this morning after a drone strike struck a civilian bus in the Russian-occupied part of Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia region. Sources close to the incident confirm the attack occurred on a road near the town of Melitopol, an area under Kremlin control since early 2022. The bus, reportedly carrying workers from a local factory, was torn apart by the blast. Emergency services pulled bodies from the wreckage, but four passengers survived with injuries ranging from shrapnel wounds to severe burns.
This is not the first time this route has been hit. Uncovered documents from local transport officials show a pattern of near-misses in recent weeks, with drones reportedly hovering over the same stretch of road. But no warnings were issued. No diversions were made. The bus company continued its schedule as if the sky were safe.
Both sides in this war accuse each other of targeting civilians. Kyiv says this was a Russian drone, possibly a Shahed, which has been used to terrorise Ukrainian cities. Moscow claims it was a Ukrainian provocation, a false flag to blame Russia. But the dead don't care about propaganda. They were going to work. They were just people.
The number of civilian casualties in occupied territories is notoriously difficult to verify. Russian-appointed officials control the information flow, and independent journalists are rarely allowed near the scene. But that hasn't stopped the bodies from piling up. A source inside the local hospital, speaking on condition of anonymity, told me the morgue is full. They are overwhelmed.
This attack raises serious questions about the safety of civilians living under occupation. International law prohibits deliberate targeting of non-combatants, but that doesn't stop the drones from flying. The UN has condemned the strike, calling for an investigation. But investigations in a war zone are slow, and accountability is even slower.
The bus driver survived. He is in shock, unable to speak. His face tells the story. He saw death coming from the sky.
As the sun rises over the scorched earth of Ukraine, this is the new normal. Drones, death, and denial. The world watches, but does nothing. Eight more names added to the list of the forgotten. I'll keep digging, because that's what I do. But the truth is as hollow as the shell of that bus.
