At least twelve miners were killed after a Russian strike hit a bus transporting mine workers in Ukraine’s Dnipropetrovsk region, Ukrainian officials said on Sunday. According to regional authorities, the attack occurred near the town of Ternivka in the Pavlohrad district when a Russian drone struck a civilian vehicle carrying workers home from their shift at a coal mine operated by Ukraine’s largest private energy company, DTEK. Several other passengers were injured, some seriously, and were taken to nearby hospitals for treatment. Emergency services said the strike caused significant damage to the bus and sparked a fire, which was later brought under control.
Ukrainian officials condemned the attack, describing it as a deliberate strike on civilians far from the front line. The governor of the Dnipropetrovsk region said the victims were ordinary workers with no connection to military activity, calling the incident a tragic example of Russia’s continued attacks on civilian infrastructure. DTEK confirmed that its employees were among the dead and injured and expressed deep sorrow for the families affected, while accusing Russia of targeting the country’s energy workforce.
The attack comes amid intensified Russian drone and missile strikes across Ukraine, particularly against energy facilities and transport networks, despite ongoing diplomatic efforts to reduce hostilities. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reiterated calls for stronger international support and air defence systems, saying the strike showed that civilians remain under constant threat. Russia has not commented directly on the incident, but it has previously denied deliberately targeting civilians. Local authorities declared a period of mourning in the region as investigations into the strike continue and families prepare to bury the victims.
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