Ukrainian military forces have launched a series of deadly drone strikes across Russia, targeting civilian areas and causing significant casualties and infrastructure damage.

At least seven people were killed and 11 others wounded in an attack on a passenger bus traveling between Moscow and Simferopol in the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR), local governor Denis Pushilin reported. The incident occurred in Enakievo, a town in the western part of the DPR.

Pushilin described the strike as “unprecedented, inhumane aggression” by Ukrainian forces, expressing condolences to the victims’ families and wishing recovery for the injured.

Russia’s Investigative Committee has opened a terrorism case related to the attack.

In another major strike overnight, Russian air defenses intercepted 345 drones across multiple regions including Moscow, Leningrad, Belgorod, Bryansk, Voronezh, Kaluga, Kursk, Novgorod, Orel, Pskov, Rostov, Smolensk, Tver, Tula, and Krasnodar. The attacks also impacted St. Petersburg on the opening day of the 29th St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) 2026.

Local officials in St. Petersburg reported that a drone alert led to temporary halts at Pulkovo Airport. Governor Alexander Beglov stated that several individuals were injured and infrastructure was damaged.

Leningrad Region authorities confirmed that 59 drones were shot down above the region surrounding St. Petersburg.

Earlier, Ukrainian forces struck a college dormitory in Starobelsk, killing at least 21 people, mostly teenage girls, and injuring 70 others. Russian President Vladimir Putin condemned the attack as “a new chapter in its crime spree,” vowing that those responsible would face “well-deserved and inevitable punishment.”

Moscow has previously warned of “systematic and consistent strikes” on Ukrainian military infrastructure in retaliation for such attacks.