Russian Strikes Kill Dozens as Trump Buys Russian Diesel

Russian forces killed more than 60 people across Ukraine over a four-day period, highlighted by a guided aerial bomb strike on passenger buses in Kramatorsk on October 11. The Kramatorsk attack killed at least 33 people and injured 18, prompting the Donetsk regional prosecutor's office to launch a war crimes investigation into the use of a UMPB D-30SN glide bomb. Other strikes during this surge included a missile hit on an apartment building in Pryluky that killed 22 people and aerial bombs in Zaporizhzhia that killed between 11 and 17 people, including three children.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy condemned the violence and criticized a simultaneous announcement by US President Donald Trump, who reached a deal with Russian President Vladimir Putin to purchase millions of tons of Russian diesel to lower US fuel prices before midterm elections. Zelenskyy described the purchase as a "weak decision" that serves as an investment in the war, arguing it allows Russia to prolong its campaign and inflict greater damage.

The escalation occurred while US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner met with Ukrainian officials in Miami to discuss a proposal to end the conflict. In response to the Kramatorsk massacre, Zelenskyy vowed the strike "will not go unanswered" and asserted that "a response from the world is a must."