Belarusian leader claims drone that struck bus carrying children in Russia's Bryansk Oblast was of "Ukrainian origin"

Self-proclaimed Belarusian president Alexander Lukashenko has claimed that a bus carrying a Belarusian children's football team in Russia's Bryansk Oblast was attacked by a drone "of Ukrainian origin".

Source: Belarusian state-owned news outlet BelTA

Details: Lukashenko described the strike on the bus as a "violation of agreements and the rules of warfare" by "certain countries". Meanwhile, he said he is "not rushing to draw conclusions".

"We are not rushing to draw any conclusions, but we can clearly state the fact that it was a drone of Ukrainian origin. It was a Ukrainian drone," Lukashenko said. He also mentioned that Ukraine has provided explanations regarding the accusations.

Quote: "But some things are already known today. They [Ukraine – ed.] say that no strikes were carried out on Bryansk Oblast at that time. But the bus driver himself says that he personally (and probably others as well – the investigation will show) saw not one drone, but several, which, as he noted, were buzzing and flying over the bus. So there are more than enough conspiracy theories here."

Background:

• Yegor Kovalchuk, acting governor of Bryansk Oblast, claimed on 17 June 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 had been killed in the strike. Six other people were supposedly injured, including four children.
• The Ukrainian side has officially denied the allegations of a "Ukrainian drone attack".
• Following reports about the attack on the bus carrying Belarusian children, Ukraine's Human Rights Commissioner Dmytro Lubinets urgently contacted the Belarusian side. He stressed that Ukraine had no involvement in the incident.

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