Zelenskyy on "AFU strike" on bus in Bryansk region: Russian provocation aimed at dragging Belarus into war
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that international experts have already concluded that the Ukrainian side was not involved in the alleged attack on a bus carrying Belarusian citizens in the Bryansk region of the Russian Federation. It was a provocation by the Russians.
He made these remarks at a joint press conference with Honduran President Nasry Asfura, according to "Interfax-Ukraine", as reported by Censor.NET.
A deliberate provocation by the Kremlin
The head of state said that this incident was a provocation by the Russian side aimed at dragging the Belarusian people into a war against Ukraine.
"As for the drone strike… well, everyone has already acknowledged—international experts, and I think the Russians also acknowledge this, let’s say, behind closed doors—that this strike was not ours. How is this connected? It’s very simple. The Russians will carry out many different provocations in order to drag the people of Belarus into this war. This is one such provocation," Zelenskyy added.
What preceded it?
- As a reminder, on 17 June, Russian and Belarusian media outlets had previously reported on an alleged attack by a Ukrainian drone on a civilian bus in the Bryansk region of the Russian Federation. According to their reports, the bus was carrying a children’s football team from Gomel, which was travelling to a training camp in Gelendzhik.
- The Belarusian Ministry of Foreign Affairs played into Russian propaganda by immediately accusing Ukraine of a "terrorist attack". Minsk demanded an explanation from Kyiv.
- The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine officially refuted the false claims made by representatives of the Russian Federation and Belarus regarding the alleged strike by a Ukrainian Armed Forces drone on a bus carrying a Belarusian children’s football team in the Bryansk region, stating that these claims are untrue. During the period in question, the Armed Forces of Ukraine did not deploy UAVs against targets in the Bryansk region.
- In light of reports of an attack on a bus carrying Belarusian children, Dmytro Lubinets, the Verkhovna Rada’s Human Rights Commissioner, urgently contacted the Belarusian side.
