A bus carrying a children’s football team from Belarus came under attack in Russia’s Bryansk region on Wednesday, leaving one adult dead and several people injured, according to Russian authorities.
Officials said the incident occurred in the border region adjacent to Ukraine, where a drone reportedly struck the vehicle as it travelled through the area.
Authorities identified the deceased as a woman who was accompanying the young football players on their journey. Seven other people, including five children, were injured and taken to hospital for treatment.
Images aired by Belarusian media showed a damaged bus with shattered windows and visible impact marks along one side of the vehicle.
Russia accused Ukraine of carrying out the attack using drones.
“The Armed Forces of Ukraine, using airplane-type drones, attacked the bus of the Gomel (southeast Belarus) children’s football team, which was going on holiday to Gelendzhik (on Russia’s Black Sea coast),” Bryansk region acting governor Yegor Kovalchuk said on social media.
The Belarusian Foreign Ministry strongly condemned the incident and called on Kyiv to provide answers.
The ministry described the attack as another act of terrorism against civilians and demanded exhaustive explanations from Ukraine.
However, Ukraine rejected the accusations, insisting its military had not launched drones in the area at the time of the incident. The Ukrainian army denied launching drones over the Bryansk region at the time, calling the Russian statements false.
Russian President Vladimir Putin was briefed on the attack and instructed officials to ensure assistance is provided to those affected, according to the Kremlin.
Meanwhile, Russia’s Investigative Committee has opened a terrorism investigation into the incident. Authorities said the bus was carrying 44 passengers, including 28 children.
The latest accusations come amid continuing hostilities between Russia and Ukraine, with both sides reporting intensified aerial attacks in recent months.
Ukraine has increased drone operations targeting Russian territory, while Moscow continues to carry out missile and drone strikes across Ukraine.
Belarus remains one of Russia’s closest allies and has maintained a complicated relationship with Ukraine since the start of the full-scale invasion in 2022, when Russian forces used Belarusian territory during the early stages of the offensive.
