Russia deploys jet-propelled drones in civilian attacks, hitting buses and Kyiv bridges
Russian forces used jet-propelled Gerany-4 and Gerany-5 drones to strike civilian targets, killing 33 people on two buses in Kramatorsk and damaging bridges in Kyiv.
During the fifth year of the war, Russian forces escalated their tactics by using jet-propelled Gerany-4 and Gerany-5 drones against civilian targets. On a Thursday, two glide-bomb attacks on passenger buses in Kramatorsk killed 33 people and wounded 18, marking one of the deadliest recent assaults on civilians. The same drone technology was later deployed against Kyiv’s southern and northern bridges, forcing repeated traffic halts and causing injuries among commuters.
These drones can fly at speeds of up to 500 km/h, have a range of up to 1,000 km, and carry 90 kg warheads, making them difficult to intercept. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha described the operations as a new phase of terror focused on civil transport infrastructure. Additional attacks included a glide-bomb strike on a residential block in Zaporizhzhia that killed at least 20 people, including children, and a drone hit on a railway locomotive near Lviv.
Why it matters
The use of advanced drones against civilians signals a dangerous escalation in the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
How this story developed
- Sep 10 Ukrainian forces begin new offensive in northern Donetsk, commander says
- Oct 6 Moscow airports suspended flights throughout the night.
- Oct 7 A large‑scale missile and drone barrage hit Kyiv in the early hours.
- Oct 7 Russian air strikes overnight hit Kiev, Kirovohrad, Chernihiv and Poltava regions, leaving at least 12 dead and more than 40 injured.
- Oct 7 Two civilian deaths reported in Kyiv and simultaneous strikes hit other Ukrainian cities on Putin's birthday.
- Oct 7 Ukrainian air defenses reported downing 161 of the incoming missiles and drones.
- Oct 7 Zelensky described the strikes as a “birthday gift” to Putin.
- Oct 7 Interior Minister Ivan Vyhivskyi reported that the attacks resulted in 28 deaths.
- Oct 8 Death toll in Kramatorsk reported at least 33.
- Oct 8 A Russian strike hit two buses in Kramatorsk; UN human‑rights chief Volker Türk said he was "consterné" and the UN reported at least 85 dead and 346 injured civilians since Monday.
- Oct 9 Zelensky publicly accused the United States of insufficient support after the Kramatorsk bus bombing.
- Oct 10 A large blaze erupted at the Yug Rusi oil-loading terminal in Rostov-on-Don overnight, following reports of a drone attack.
- Oct 10 Russian guided bombs hit a Zaporizhzhia apartment building, killing four civilians and injuring four.
- Oct 10 A Russian glide‑bomb attack killed civilians in Zaporizhzhia.
In this story
Related stories
20 in this thread