At least 33 people were killed on Thursday when a Russian glide bomb struck a crowded bus stop in Kramatorsk, eastern Ukraine, local authorities said. Another 18 people were wounded in one of the deadliest single attacks of the year.

Two city buses were operating on the street when the bomb hit, police said. Images posted by police showed bodies on the debris-covered road and the charred shell of a bus. Authorities suspended public transport in the city after the strike.

Donetsk governor Vadym Filashkin said a bus full of passengers was an attractive target for Russia because one strike could kill as many people as possible. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the bomb hit an ordinary public transport stop and urged partners to send more air-defence supplies.

Russia, which has stepped up drone and guided-bomb strikes on Ukraine’s eastern ‘fortress belt’ cities, had no immediate comment. Moscow routinely denies targeting civilians.

The attack came a day after a Russian missile strike on an apartment block in Pryluky killed 22 people, including five children.