On the morning of August 19, 2026, a new tragedy occurred in Kherson amidst ongoing hostilities. Russian occupiers launched a drone strike on civilian passenger transport in the Korabelny district of the city. The incident, which occurred around 08:50, claimed the lives of four people and served as another confirmation of the enemy's barbaric tactics, which increasingly target ordinary buses and minibuses transporting people to their destinations.
Casualties and Injured
Alexander Prokudin, Head of the Kherson Regional Military Administration, confirmed the death of four people as a result of this terrorist strike. Identifying the deceased took some time, but later the Regional Military Administration (RMA) released details: among the victims were four elderly people — a man born in 1957 (69 years old) and three women aged 89, 63, and 71. In addition to the deceased, four other women were injured and are currently in hospitals under medical supervision. Doctors are conducting necessary examinations and providing aid to the wounded.
Driver's Heroism and Government Response
Special attention in the administration's statement was paid to the actions of the minibus driver. Despite the vehicle being damaged, the driver decided to continue driving towards the hospital to avoid losing precious time delivering the injured to medical personnel. He risked his life, understanding the danger of a repeated attack, but the priority was saving the wounded passengers. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called this incident a "cruel Russian safari," noting that the enemy's actions have gone beyond human comprehension.
Situation in Other Regions
The attack on the minibus in Kherson was not an isolated incident. During these 24 hours, the enemy simultaneously terrorized other regions of Ukraine. In Zaporizhzhia, serious power outages arose after a series of strikes. Drones damaged residential high-rise buildings, and in the morning, occupiers used guided aerial bombs on the private sector, leaving part of the city without electricity. On the night of August 19, Russia carried out a massive attack with missiles and dozens of drones in several directions at once. Ukrainian air defenses shot down or suppressed 56 enemy targets, however, some drones remained in the air, creating a threat to civilians.
Contradictory Data
While the Head of the Kherson RMA, Alexander Prokudin, reported four deaths in his initial statement without specifying their gender and age, sources from other news agencies (in particular, Korrespondent) mentioned in headlines that drones hit not only the minibus but also a car, which may indicate a larger scale of the incident or the presence of additional casualties outside the minibus. However, official RMA data currently records exactly four victims in the minibus and four injured people in the hospital. Differences in wording may be related to the stages of information gathering and clarification of the explosion circumstances.
