June 18, Pozirk. Alaksandar Łukašenka claimed during a meeting with military officials on Thursday that a Ukrainian drone was used in Wednesday’s deadly attack on a Belarusian tour bus in Russia, while also warning against drawing premature conclusions.
“We are in no hurry to draw conclusions, but we clearly state the fact that this was a drone of Ukrainian origin — this was a Ukrainian drone,” the Belarusian ruler was quoted as saying by his press office.
He questioned Ukraine’s claims that it has nothing to do with the incident and that there were no Ukrainian strikes on the Bryansk province on Wednesday. According to Łukašenka, the driver said he saw several drones buzzing over the bus, and that one of them — “thank God, not a powerful one” — struck the vehicle.
Łukašenka noted that “conspiracy theories” abound, with Ukrainians suggesting that the drone might have been “purchased by someone” or that it could have been “some kind of provocation” by Russia.
He warned that if “someone is provoking Belarus and trying to drag it into the war,” it will “end badly for those who are trying to do it.”
Łukašenka signaled that Belarus’s response would be restrained, stressing that “we are acting calmly.” He blamed such incidents on “someone” who “doesn’t like that Belarus is a quiet state.”
Łukašenka called on Ukraine to provide a “fair and honest answer” to Belarus’s questions. He said that Russia had expressed readiness to assist Minsk with the investigation and that “we will get to the truth anyway — this will not be difficult.”
Łukašenka described the situation on the border with Ukraine as more volatile than ever before and cited it as justification for his decision to strengthen security in southern Belarus.
One person was reportedly killed and eight people, including six children, sustained blast injuries of varying severity in the drone attack.
According to the Homiel Regional Executive Committee, five Belarusian children and one adult will be transferred to medical institutions in Minsk.
One child reportedly underwent surgery overnight and is being transported to the Belarusian capital on life support.
The wounded children will receive treatment at the National Child Surgery Center, while the injured adult will be treated at the Main Military Medical Clinical Center of the Armed Forces. The condition of the child who underwent surgery and the adult was described as “serious.”
All patients, except the child mentioned above, are conscious, able to communicate, and showing signs of improvement, with a positive outlook for recovery despite shrapnel wounds, the report added.
Viktoryja Haroška, the wife of a coach from the Rečyca sports school for children, was killed in the attack. Originally from Ukraine, she had lived in Belarus for a long time.
Two passenger buses departed from Rečyca for Russia’s Gelendzhik early Wednesday morning, carrying about 90 people in total, including 41 children. Around 11:00 a.m., a passenger informed city authorities about a drone attack in the Bryansk province. The bus that was hit reportedly carried 43 passengers, including 28 children enrolled in football programs.
The trip to Russia was organized as an annual summer retreat funded by parents. According to the Homiel Regional Football Federation, a different route is usually used.
The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine denied involvement, stating that Ukrainian forces did not use unmanned aerial vehicles against targets in Russia’s Bryansk region on the day the bus was hit.
Ukrainian parliament’s Commissioner for Human Rights Dmytro Lubinets wrote on Telegram on Wednesday evening that he had “urgently contacted” Belarusian authorities and received “preliminary information” about the incident. Lubinets “strongly emphasized” that Ukraine “has absolutely nothing to do with it.”
