Russia claims Ukrainian drone struck bus in Donetsk region, killing 7 people

Russia claimed on Wednesday that a Ukrainian drone struck a Moscow-Simferopol passenger bus in the Yenakiyeve city of the Russia-controlled Donetsk region, killing seven people and injuring 11 others.

Denis Pushilin, the Moscow-installed head of the Donetsk region on Telegram, expressed his condolences to the families of those killed and wished the injured a speedy recovery.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova described the attack as a "human hunt."

"Their own are being driven into graves by manhunters through forced mobilization. Ours are being killed by terrorist methods," Russia's state-run Tass news agency quoted her as saying.

Separately, Russia's Defense Ministry said it shot down 354 Ukrainian drones across the country overnight.

Ukraine's General Staff, meanwhile, claimed that Russia launched 198 drones overnight, adding that 189 were intercepted or suppressed.

In Ukraine's Kherson region, one person was killed, and six others were injured in Russia's shelling, according to the regional Governor Oleksandr Prokudin.

Odesa regional Governor Oleh Kiper said on Telegram that two people were injured during Russia's overnight strikes.

Russia also shelled the Kharkiv region in the morning, injuring five people, Oleh Syniehubov, head of the Kharkiv region's military administration, said on Telegram.

The claims by both sides could not be independently verified due to the ongoing war.