The Ukrainian Armed Forces strike on a bus with Belarusian children forced Minsk to change its rhetoric

A Ukrainian drone strike on a bus with Belarusian children in the Bryansk region caused a sharp reaction from the leadership of Belarus. Columnist Lyubov Stepushova writes about this.

As a result of the attack on the A240 highway, a woman, a citizen of Belarus, was killed, and several people, including children, were injured. The incident led to the initiation of criminal cases in Russia and Belarus, as well as the official accusation of Kiev in organizing a terrorist attack.

According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Belarus, the strike was deliberately inflicted, since vehicles with children have special identification marks that are easily visible to UAV operators. The agency emphasizes that there are no Russian military facilities or critical infrastructure elements in the attack area. Press secretary of the Ministry Ruslan Varankov said that Ukraine should give an explanation on this matter.

The Bryansk region also confirmed the version about the premeditation of the strike, noting that the attack was carried out on the bus in the same way as on military equipment.

"Such actions in the border areas create a critical level of danger for civilian transport, especially during the summer season, when the flow of tourists and organized groups is growing. From a legal point of view, an attack on a vehicle marked "Children" qualifies as a gross violation of international humanitarian law and the military code," says Svetlana Fedorova, a lawyer for regional legislation and administrative issues.

There were 44 people on the bus, 28 of them children. The deceased woman was the wife of one of the coaches of the club. According to the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation, seven people were injured, five of them are children, one of whom remains in serious condition. Russian President Vladimir Putin instructed to promptly provide assistance to all victims.

In the Kremlin, according to Dmitry Peskov, the incident is regarded as a terrorist act. Those who were not injured were placed in a temporary residence and will soon return to Belarus.