Ukraine's General Staff refutes Russian claim of "Ukrainian drone strike" on bus carrying Belarusian children in Bryansk Oblast
Ukraine has officially denied Russian claims that the Armed Forces of Ukraine launched a drone attack on a bus carrying a Belarusian children's football team in Russia's Bryansk Oblast.
Source: Radio Liberty's Russian Service; General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine; Centre for Countering Disinformation
Details: Yegor Kovalchuk, acting governor of Bryansk Oblast, claimed on Wednesday that a Ukrainian drone had attacked a bus carrying a children's football team from Belarus. He said the team from Homiel was travelling to Russia's Gelendzhik for a holiday.
The governor claimed that a Belarusian woman accompanying the team was killed in the strike. Six other people were supposedly injured, including four children.
Russia's Investigative Committee opened a criminal case over what it described as a terrorist attack. The Kremlin also characterised the incident as a terrorist attack. Belarus's Foreign Ministry said it regarded the strike as "an act of terrorism against civilians" and demanded "comprehensive explanations" from Kyiv.
General Staff spokesperson Major Andrii Kovalov officially rejected the accusations made by Russia.
Quote from Kovalov: "During the specified period, Ukraine's defence forces did not use unmanned aerial vehicles against targets in Bryansk Oblast. Unable to achieve its declared objectives on the battlefield and suffering significant losses, the Russian Federation is increasingly resorting to information manipulation and fabricating accusations against Ukraine. The Armed Forces of Ukraine strike exclusively legitimate military targets and do not conduct combat operations against civilians."
Details: The General Staff spokesperson pointed out that Russia itself carries out daily strikes on Ukrainian cities, residential areas, hospitals, schools and other civilian sites.
Andrii Kovalenko, Head of the Centre for Countering Disinformation, noted that the Russian operation was aimed at influencing public opinion in Belarus.
Quote from Kovalenko: "The Russians saw that Belarusians do not want to support Russia's aggressive rhetoric towards Ukraine and invented a 'terrorist attack on a bus carrying Belarusian children in Bryansk Oblast' in the hope of using this information provocation to incite the Belarusian population to support aggressive actions against Ukraine. The provocation itself is pathetic and bears all the hallmarks of a coordinated operation without any factual evidence. Typical behaviour for Russian propagandists."
Why this matters: The Kremlin has repeatedly used the tactic of fabricating "attacks on civilians" to divert international attention from its own war crimes and to discredit the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
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