{"id":192259,"date":"2026-06-17T18:58:23","date_gmt":"2026-06-17T15:58:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/192259\/"},"modified":"2026-06-17T18:58:39","modified_gmt":"2026-06-17T15:58:39","slug":"ukrainian-official-says-russia-planned-drone-attack-on-belarusian-bus-as-provocation","status":"publish","type":"articles","link":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/192259\/","title":{"rendered":"Ukrainian official says Russia planned attack on Belarusian bus as provocation"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\n\n \"\"\n
\n \n
\n (Yehor Milohrodskyi \/ unsplash.com)<\/span>\n <\/div>\n <\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

June 17, Pozirk.<\/em> <\/strong>Andriy Kovalenko, head of Ukraine\u2019s Center for Countering Disinformation, has dismissed attempts to blame Ukraine for a drone attack on a Belarusian bus in Russia\u2019s Bryansk province as a \u201cpathetic provocation typical of Russian propagandists.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The incident that claimed one life earlier today bears \u201call the hallmarks of a coordinated operation without any factual evidence,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe Russians saw that Belarusians do not want to support Russia\u2019s aggressive rhetoric toward Ukraine, so they fabricated a \u2018terrorist attack on a bus carrying Belarusian children in the Bryansk province\u2019 in the hope that this information provocation would prompt the Belarusian public to support aggressive actions against Ukraine,\u201d Kovalenko said on Telegram.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Earlier, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine denied Ukrainian forces\u2019 involvement in a drone attack that killed and wounded Belarusians, saying the army did not employ unmanned aerial vehicles against targets in Russia\u2019s Bryansk province when the bus was hit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Two passenger buses departed from Re\u010dyca in Belarus for Russia\u2019s Gelendzhik early this morning, carrying a total of about 90 people, including 41 children. Around 11:00 am, a passenger informed the city authorities about a drone attack in the Bryansk province. The bus that was hit reportedly carried 43 passengers, of whom 28 were children enrolled in soccer programs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The trip to Russia was organized as an annual summer retreat funded by their parents. Usually, a different route was used, the Homiel Regional Soccer Federation told Onliner<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eight people, including six minors, sustained blast injuries of varying severity and are currently treated at several hospitals in Russia\u2019s Bryansk province, said Belarusian Health Minister Alaksandar Chad\u017eaje\u016d. One of the children has undergone surgery and is currently in the intensive care unit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Viktoryja Haro\u0161ka, the wife of a coach from the Re\u010dyca sports school for children, has been confirmed dead. Originally from Ukraine, the woman resided in Belarus for a long time. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n
\n \"\"