Russian strike near passenger bus in Kharkiv Oblast kills three, injures four

Russian forces struck near a passenger bus traveling from Kharkiv to Velykyi Burluk on the morning of March 13, 2026, killing three people and injuring four others, according to Andrii Kanashevych, head of the Kupiansk District Military Administration, the Kharkiv Oblast Police, and the Office of the Prosecutor General.

Kanashevych said the strike occurred at about 9:15 a.m. on a road near the village of Nova Oleksandrivka in the Velykyi Burluk “hromada,” a local government area that includes one or more nearby settlements.

The Police of the Kharkiv Oblast identified the first victim as the 53-year-old bus driver. Four people were injured — three women aged 44, 53, and 59 who were passengers on the bus, and a 73-year-old local resident.

At 12:45 p.m., the Office of the Prosecutor General reported the death toll had risen to three.

Investigators determined Russian forces carried out a missile strike near Nova Oleksandrivka in the Kupiansk District at about 9:05 a.m. Early reports indicate an Iskander-M missile was used.

“The bus was nearby at the time. As a result of the strike, three people were killed: the bus driver and two passengers. Four other people — three female bus passengers and a local resident — were injured. The bus and several houses were damaged,” the statement reads.

Russian troops also struck the city of Balakliia in Kharkiv Oblast overnight on March 12-13, with hits recorded in a residential area.

U.S. President Donald Trump has not secured an end to Russia’s war within 24 hours of taking office,  as he had promised. Furthermore, numerous Ukrainian and international experts point out that the U.S., as a guarantor state under the Budapest Memorandum, is pressuring Kyiv into capitulation.

On March 12, the U.S. Treasury lifted sanctions on the purchase of Russian oil and petroleum products aboard vessels at sea for 30 days. The license covers the delivery and sale of Russian oil and petroleum products loaded onto vessels as of March 12 and expires at midnight Eastern time on April 11.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned at a joint news conference with French President Emmanuel Macron that a partial U.S. easing of sanctions on Russian oil at sea could hand Moscow up to $10 billion to fund the war.

“It is important to continue increasing pressure on Russia for this war in order to achieve real security and lasting peace. We must overcome the blocking of the 20th sanctions package against Russia — especially against the background of America’s decision to partially ease sanctions on Russian oil that is currently on tankers at sea. This single easing by America alone could give Russia around $10 billion for the war. This certainly does not help peace,” Zelenskyy stated.

He added that although Washington’s stated rationale is to stabilize global markets, Russia would spend the funds on weapons — primarily drones used to strike Ukraine.

“As we already see from intelligence reports, these same drones are also being used against Iran’s neighbors, as well as against Europeans and Americans stationed at various bases there. Therefore, lifting sanctions so that more drones later fly at you is, in my view, not the right decision,” he said.

BBC News reported that French President Emmanuel Macron said there was “no justification” for it. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said the decision was “wrong”. EU Council President Antonio Costa said it was “very concerning”.

Matviichuk pointed out that the number of Ukrainian civilians killed or injured because of the war rose by 31% compared to the previous year. She asked why Trump’s year of negotiations was the deadliest for Ukraine’s civilian population since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion.

“Why did Putin not allow himself such brutal strikes on civilian infrastructure under Biden, whom Trump calls ‘weak,’ but totally destroys peaceful cities and disregards the ‘strong Trump’?” she asekd on her Facebook page. 

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