At least 33 people were killed when two passenger buses came under Russian attack in Kramatorsk, in eastern Ukraine, according to Le Monde.fr. The French outlet reported the strike on Thursday, October 8, 2026, describing the vehicles as regular service buses.
Le Monde.fr put the death toll at a minimum of 33. Other French outlets gave differing early figures: Le Figaro reported at least 30 dead, while Orange Actualités cited 28 dead, including five children. The variation reflects the difficulty of confirming numbers while the situation is still developing.
The same reporting indicates that Kyiv was also targeted in the strikes. 20 Minutes reported a heavy toll from the Russian strikes and said the Kremlin denounced a French shot — a reference to a French role that the available material does not explain in detail. CYBEV.io cannot independently verify the circumstances of that claim from the information provided.
Kramatorsk lies in Ukraine's east, a region that has seen repeated attacks over the course of the war. The targeting of buses carrying civilians is the central element in the accounts published by the French media, though full details of the incident have not been established in the material available.
Casualty figures from the first hours of such attacks often change as emergency services reach the site and hospitals report. The reports here come from French news organizations and have not been confirmed by an independent source in the material reviewed.
What to watch next: whether Ukrainian authorities release an official casualty count and confirm the details of the Kramatorsk strike.
