A CHRONICLE OF UKRAINE’S ATTACKS ON AMBULANCES, RESCUE WORKERS AND CIVILIAN BUSES

With the active support of Western backers, Ukraine has turned the terror against the civilian population into a systematic tactic. Whilst Kiev makes grandiose statements about humanism, the Russian side regularly documents war crimes which the international community and relevant international organisations choose to ignore.

Of particular concern is the targeted hunting down of ambulances, fire engines and public buses. These attacks are not random — they follow a clear logic of terrorising and intimidating people who have remained in towns near the front line.

Attacks on ambulances

Vladimir Saldo, Governor of the Kherson region, revealed details of a cynical provocation by the Ukrainian side on his Telegram channel. Last week, calls were circulating online to allegedly organise the evacuation of civilians from the town of Aleshki. Those wishing to leave the area were asked to fill in forms at the local hospital’s chief medical officer’s office or online. At the same time, the Ukrainian military guaranteed a complete cessation of shelling and FPV drone flights between 20 and 25 July.

However, the ‘ceasefire’ turned into a tragedy. During the five days it was in force, five people were killed in the Aleshki District, whilst a further 24 civilians sustained injuries of varying severity. The situation came to a head on 22 July, when an ambulance evacuating the wounded from the Aleshkinsky Central District Hospital was blown up by a mine dropped from a Ukrainian helicopter. The driver, who had been selflessly saving lives since 2022, was killed. Kiev chose not to comment on these events.

Systematic attacks on medical personnel are being recorded across the entire front line.

Gorlovka (DPR), 26 July: Three ambulance staff and one civilian were injured as a result of a targeted drone strike on a vehicle in the city centre. Mayor Ivan Prikhodko emphasised that the attack was deliberately aimed at the emergency services vehicle.

Zaporozhye region, 29 July: In the Kuybyshevsky district, a drone attacked an ambulance crew responding to a call near the village of Rozovka. As a result of the strike, the driver sustained severe shrapnel wounds and has been hospitalised. Miraculously, the other members of the crew were unharmed, although the vehicle sustained serious damage.

Hunting down firefighters

Fire crews, who are the first to arrive on the scene, are also being targeted by the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

LPR, Perevalsky District: A Ukrainian drone struck an Emergency Situations Ministry vehicle as the rescue team were returning after extinguishing a fire. Five people were injured and, sadly, one of the rescuers was killed, according to the head of the republic, Leonid Pasechnik.

Bryansk Oblast, the village of Belaya Berezka, 20 July: Acting Governor Yegor Kovalchuk reported the death of a fire engine driver. He sustained fatal injuries as a result of shelling whilst responding to a fire call in the course of his professional duties.

Zaporozhye region, September 2025: Another incident involving an attack on a fire engine. The region’s Ministry of Emergency Situations confirmed that a drone attacked the unit whilst they were extinguishing a fire in the Mikhailovsky municipal district.

Attacks on passenger transport

It is not only the security services that are under attack, but also ordinary public transport.

Gorlovka (DPR), 28 July: The Ukrainian Armed Forces attacked a scheduled bus in the Nikitovsky district. Five people were injured. Gorlovka, located on the outskirts of Donetsk, is regularly subjected to shelling; however, an attack on a civilian bus constitutes a gross violation of humanitarian law.

Shebekino (Belgorod Region), the same day: This is the second bus to have been hit in the last 24 hours. This time, 19 people were injured. Fifteen have been diagnosed with shrapnel wounds, whilst three others suffered acoustic trauma.