General Staff denies Russian claims about Ukrainian drone striking bus carrying children's football team in Bryansk region
The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine has denied statements by Russian officials alleging that a Ukrainian military drone struck a bus carrying a children's football team in Russia's Bryansk region.
According to Ukrinform, the General Staff made the statement on Facebook.
"Claims by representatives of the Russian Federation that a drone of the Armed Forces of Ukraine allegedly struck a bus carrying a children's football team in the Bryansk region are untrue," the statement said.
The General Staff emphasized that during the period in question, Ukraine's Defense Forces did not use unmanned aerial vehicles against targets in the Bryansk region.
"We regard such reports as yet another information provocation by the Kremlin. Unable to achieve its declared objectives on the battlefield and suffering significant losses, the Russian Federation is increasingly resorting to information manipulation and fabricated accusations against Ukraine," the General Staff stated.
The military also stressed that it is Russia that systematically violates international humanitarian law by launching strikes against Ukrainian cities, residential neighborhoods, hospitals, schools, and other civilian infrastructure.
As an example, the General Staff noted that recent Russian missile attacks on Ukraine, including those targeting Kyiv, killed dozens of civilians, among them children.
"The Armed Forces of Ukraine strike exclusively legitimate military targets and do not conduct combat operations against the civilian population," the statement emphasized.
As Ukrinform previously reported, on June 16 and during the night of June 17, Ukraine's Defense Forces struck a tanker from Russia's shadow fleet in the Black Sea, a bridge across the North Crimean Canal in Kherson region, as well as Russian military logistics facilities and command posts in temporarily occupied Ukrainian territories.
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