Ukraine-Russia war latest: Zelensky slams US and says Kyiv needs Starlink after Putin’s ‘horrifying’ bus attack

Read the original at The Independent ↗
The Independent · collected 2026-10-09 · by Shweta Sharma

Quick Summary

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky criticized the US for not doing enough to support Ukraine's defense after a Russian attack killed at least 35 people in Kramatorsk and injured many more over two days of strikes across Ukraine. In response, Zelensky asked the US to expand Ukraine’s access to SpaceX’s Starlink satellite internet service to improve targeting capabilities against Russian missile launchers. The article also mentions that Ukrainian negotiators will travel to the US for talks on Friday and Saturday, with British Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband announcing new sanctions on Russia during a visit to Pryluky where he met Zelensky.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-10-09, using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the same event (that is the story summary below).

AI analysis runs on qwen2.5:14b, locally

Story summary

Thirty-three people died and eighteen others were injured when a Russian glide bomb struck two civilian buses in Kramatorsk, an eastern Ukrainian city near the frontline with Russia. The attack occurred on October 8th, targeting civilians as part of Moscow's broader strategy to seize control over Ukraine’s industrial Donbas region. Regional governor Vadym Filashkin accused Russia of deliberately hitting a bus carrying passengers to maximize civilian casualties. In neighboring Slovyansk, Russian attacks have intensified daily, leading officials to suspend public transport for safety reasons. The incident follows recent surges in Russian missile strikes across Ukraine, including an attack the previous day that killed twenty-two people, including five children, in Pryluky. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy vowed a response to the attacks, warning of increasing civilian casualties and power outages as Russia intensifies its pre-winter offensive.

Written for “Russia Ukraine Bus Attacks” on 2026-10-09, grounded in this article and the 9 other(s) covering the same event.
Why this leaning score
The model judged this article politically coded and scored it -0.45, but 3 quote(s) could not be found in the article and the other 1 are attributed speech rather than the article's own narration, so the score is not published.
Written under an earlier scoring contract, which gave a paragraph rather than checkable quotes. Re-analysing this article replaces it.
Leaning score withheld for article 67533: no verified evidence · logged 2026-10-09

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted
52
claim-shaped sentences
Uncertain
12%
6 of 52 hedged
Leaning
withheld
no quote in the article backed the model's score
Correction & hedging signals
58.7
corrections and hedging in what we collected; not a measure of accuracy
Outlets on this story
10
World
Narrative spread
1
articles carrying this framing
Analyzed 2026-10-09 · how these are computed

Story

📰 Russia Ukraine Bus Attacks
World · 10 article(s) covering the same event. See how they differ ↓

How this is being covered How these are calculated →

Article leaning vs. publisher reliability
Source leaning vs. consistency

Compared with similar articles

This article reads unscored and hedges 12% of its claims. Each row says how that neighbour differs.
South China Morning Post · 0.88 cosine similarity
⚖️ leaning not scored 🔴 0% hedged 0 of 5 📰 publisher trust 67
“Both articles describe Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accusing the US of inaction following a Russian strike on Kramatorsk that killed at least 35 people, contributing to a two-day death toll of over 70.”
Times of India
⚖️ leaning not scored 🔴 0% hedged 0 of 29 📰 publisher trust 59
“The articles discuss different incidents: one about a vow to attack Russian refineries in response to infrastructure targeting, and another about a bus attack in Kramatorsk with casualties.”
The Hindu
⚖️ leaning not scored 🔴 0% hedged 0 of 11 📰 publisher trust 60
“The articles discuss different aspects of the Ukraine-Russia conflict on distinct dates and do not refer to the same specific incident.”
The Straits Times
⚖️ leaning not scored 🔴 0% hedged 0 of 8 📰 publisher trust 59
“The articles describe different time periods and events - one about Russia's response to a Ukrainian president's interview, while the other covers an aftermath of Russian attacks on buses in Kramatorsk with casualties.”
The Straits Times
⚖️ leaning not scored 🔴 11% hedged 1 of 9 📰 publisher trust 59
“The articles refer to different events; Article A discusses US efforts to broker peace talks by the end of October, while Article B reports on Zelensky's reaction to a Russian attack and criticism of US support.”
The Straits Times
⚖️ Leans left 🔴 0% hedged 0 of 25 📰 publisher trust 59
“The articles describe different events occurring at distinct times: one involves Chancellor Merz's visit and Russian drone attacks in Kyiv on October 4, while the other describes President Zelensky's criticism of US support following a bus attack in Kramatorsk on October 9.”
Al Jazeera
⚖️ leaning not scored 🔴 6% hedged 1 of 17 📰 publisher trust 60
“The articles describe different events involving statements by President Zelenskyy about readiness for talks and his reaction to a bus attack, respectively.”
The Straits Times
⚖️ leaning not scored 🔴 6% hedged 3 of 53 📰 publisher trust 59
“The articles describe different attacks in separate locations with distinct outcomes.”
The Independent
⚖️ leaning not scored 🔴 0% hedged 0 of 28 📰 publisher trust 59
“The articles discuss different aspects of the ongoing Ukraine-Russia conflict, with Article A focusing on India's involvement and diplomatic efforts, while Article B covers President Zelensky's reaction to a bus attack and broader criticism of the US for not providing sufficient support.”
Al Jazeera
⚖️ Leans strongly left 🔴 5% hedged 3 of 55 📰 publisher trust 60
“The articles describe different events: one is about a drone attack in Oleshky on a bread line during a wedding anniversary, while the other is about Russian attacks on buses in Kramatorsk as condemned by President Zelensky.”

Publisher

The Independent · 1959 article(s) · 5 correction(s) detected
Running correction rate · 5 correction(s)
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Who wrote this

Shweta Sharma
16 article(s) here · 1 carrying a prediction
🔮 Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has accused the US of being unwilling to help Ukraine defend itself after a Russian bomb attack on two passenger buses killed at least 35 people.
🔮 Mr Jaishankar described the war as an “unfortunate conflict” and said India’s position “has been very clear, which is that we would like to see an end to this conflict”.
🔮 Meanwhile, Russia hit Kyiv’s North Bridge on Sunday, the capital’s mayor said.
🔮 Trump says executing death row inmates 'shouldn't be difficult' on Christa Pike case Donald Trump has responded to the botched execution of Christa Pike, calling it an “interesting situation”. Asked by reporters whether he would push for changes to capital punishment following the failed execution in Tennessee, the US president said the matter was for state authorities.
🔮 All we know about ‘hijacking’ attempt on flight to Israel as suspect arrested A pilot on an Israel-bound flight stabbed another pilot and may have deliberately tried to crash the plane before passengers wrestled back control and the aircraft landed safely in Saudi Arabia.
🔮 “Anywhere in the world, this choice of targets would be called by one word – terrorism.
🔮 He also spoke out against the use of AI in war, and warned: “The longer Putin can wage war, the more evil he will leave behind.”
🔮 Volodymyr Zelensky has arrived in New York with first lady Olena Zelenska for the UN General Assembly, with Ukraine set to push for a freeze on energy sector strikes and a new drone deal with its allies.
🔮 The State Duma election, the first since Russia launched its full-scale war in February 2022, is widely expected to see the ruling pro-Putin United Russia party retain its dominance in Russia's tightly controlled political system.
🔮 Beaches across Perth’s northern suburbs will remain closed until Sunday after a shark killed a swimmer in a fatal attack witnessed by onlookers, authorities said on Saturday.
Also by Shweta Sharma
Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.
All 16 articles by Shweta Sharma →

Topics

Pryluky Russian Starlink Ukraine Ukrainian

Subjects

Ukraine GPE · 10× Russian NORP · 8× Russia GPE · 7× Ukrainian NORP · 6× Pryluky GPE · 4× Putin PERSON · 4× Starlink ORG · 4× Belgorod GPE · 3× Volodymyr Zelensky PERSON · 3× Zelensky PERSON · 3×

Narrative

Zelensky calls for US to expand Starlink access after deadly bus strikes Volodymyr Zelensky urged the US to accede to his request to expand Ukraine’s access to its Starlink satellite service in order to better target Russian ballistic missile launchers, after Moscow launched one of the deadliest single aerial attacks of the war so far. Speaking to reporters in Pryluky in the east of Kyiv, he said: “Open Starlink for Ukraine.
framing: assertive · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-10-09
🔮 Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has accused the US of being unwilling to help Ukraine defend itself after a Russian bomb attack on two passenger buses killed at least 35 people.

Claims (52 extracted, 6 hedged)

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has accused the US of being unwilling to help Ukraine defend itself after a Russian bomb attack on two passenger buses killed at least 35 people. asserted
attack → accuse → people
The attack, which struck public buses in the embattled city of Kramatorsk, came amid a wave of Russian strikes across Ukraine that killed 78 people and injured 215 over two days, according to Zelensky. uncertain
that → strike → Zelensky
Speaking to reporters in Pryluky, the Ukrainian leader criticised Washington for pursuing economic ties with Moscow while attempting to broker an end to the war, now in its fifth year. asserted
leader → speak → year
He urged the US to expand Ukraine’s access to the Starlink satellite service to help its forces target Russian ballistic missile launchers. asserted
forces → urge → launchers
You did open it when you were responding to Iran ... asserted
you → open → Iran
I’ve said quite openly – give it to us, help us defend our skies and dominate there. asserted
us → say → skies
And then Putin will sit down at the negotiating table,” he said. asserted
he → sit → table
It comes as Ukrainian negotiators will travel to the US on Friday and Saturday for talks, Zelensky added, urging Donald Trump to increase sanction pressure on Russia. asserted
Zelensky → come → Russia
Russian air strike kills one, injures two in Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia, official says A Russian air strike has killed one person and injured two others in the Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia, acting governor Mykhailo Semikin said on Telegram on Friday. asserted
Semikin → kill → Friday
Ed Miliband says UK 'will not relent in its support for Ukraine' asserted
UK → say → Ukraine
UK foreign secretary Ed Miliband visited the site of the Russian strike in Pryluky along with Volodymyr Zelensky, where he condemned Vladimir Putin's "evil intent and evil strategy". asserted
he → visit → intent
He announced "more sanctions on Russia, on the war machine of Putin, on the shadow fleet, on the oil companies, on the crypto, on the financing of the war". asserted
He → announce → war
“My message to Putin is clear – you cannot wait us out. asserted
you → wait → us
Until you choose the path of peace, the UK will not relent in its support for Ukraine, our values, or our national security. asserted
UK → choose → Ukraine
You will remain a pariah,” he said. asserted
he → remain → ?
They visited a site where 22 people, including five children, were killed in a single strike on a five-storey block of flats in Pryluky on Wednesday. asserted
people → visit → Wednesday
The sanctions package, which includes around 40 targets across Russia’s financial, oil and technology sectors, is designed to disrupt Russia’s supply chain and cut off financing streams. asserted
which → include → streams
Zelensky calls for US to expand Starlink access after deadly bus strikes Volodymyr Zelensky urged the US to accede to his request to expand Ukraine’s access to its Starlink satellite service in order to better target Russian ballistic missile launchers, after Moscow launched one of the deadliest single aerial attacks of the war so far. Speaking to reporters in Pryluky in the east of Kyiv, he said: “Open Starlink for Ukraine. asserted
he → call → Ukraine
You did open it when you were responding to Iran ... asserted
you → open → Iran
I’ve said quite openly – give it to us, help us defend our skies and dominate there. asserted
us → say → skies
And then Putin will sit down at the negotiating table.” asserted
Putin → sit → table
At least 30 people were killed in a Russian glide bomb attack on two civilian buses in the eastern Ukrainian city of Kramatorsk, rescue officials said. asserted
officials → kill → Kramatorsk
Three others were killed in the nearby village of Bilenke, while 18 people were wounded, according to Donetsk regional governor Vadym Filashkin, who accused Russia of deliberately targeting passenger buses to maximise civilian casualties. uncertain
who → kill → casualties
Two dead in drone strikes in Russia's Belgorod region, officials say Two people were killed in Ukrainian drone strikes on Thursday in Russia's border region of Belgorod, regional officials said. asserted
officials → say → Belgorod
The regional operational headquarters reported one person died when a drone struck a car. asserted
drone → report → car
A later evening strike killed one person and injured three. asserted
strike → kill → three
Reuters could not independently verify the reports. uncertain
Reuters → verify → reports
Indian imports of Russian oil sink to lowest level since 2022 Indian imports of Russian oil have their lowest level since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine began in 2022, according to a report. In the four weeks up to 4 October, shipments of Russian rude averaged just 310,000 barrels a day, Bloomberg data showed. uncertain
data → sink → barrels
India has gradually reduced its dependence on Russian oil since the US threatened punitive sanctions earlier this year. asserted
US → reduce → sanctions
Zelensky says Ukraine expects Europeans to join talks with US Volodymyr Zelensky said that Ukraine expected Kyiv's European partners to join talks with the US in coming days. Zelenskiy earlier said that Ukraine's negotiators would hold talks in the United States on Friday and Saturday as part of efforts led by the United States to seek a settlement of the war with Russia. asserted
negotiators → say → Russia
The president, speaking to reporters in Kyiv, said Ukrainian negotiators would raise the issue of air defences in light of near-constant Russian attacks on Ukrainian cities. asserted
negotiators → speak → cities
More than 70 have been killed in strikes over the past two days. asserted
70 → kill → days
Zelenskiy also said Ukraine had "mirrored" Russian attacks on data centres, referring to a strike on a centre operated by Russian technology company Yandex. asserted
Ukraine → say → Yandex
"We always respond in mirror-like fashion," Zelenskiy said. asserted
Zelenskiy → respond → fashion
"You all know, they have been hitting and continue to hit our data centres. asserted
they → know → centres
We are responding. asserted
We → respond → ?
I can't share all the details." asserted
I → share → details
Russian technology and AI company Yandex said on Thursday it could not yet determine whether equipment at a data centre hit by a Ukrainian drone attack could be restored. uncertain
equipment → say → attack
Russian drone strike on Kramatorsk kills two, local authorities say A new evening drone strike on the eastern Ukrainian city of Kramatorsk killed two people on Thursday, local authorities said. asserted
authorities → kill → Thursday
The Kramatorsk city council, in a post on Telegram, said the drone struck a car, killing two people inside. asserted
drone → say → people
…and 12 more, not listed.
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