Translation. Region: Russian Federation –
Source: United Nations – United Nations –
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February 2, 2026 Peace and security
A drone strike in the town of Ternivka, Dnipropetrovsk region of Ukraine, killed and wounded mine workers returning home after their shift. The UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission (HRMMU) reported this. Mission staff visited the scene and interviewed eyewitnesses.
According to local authorities, 12 civilians were killed and 16 others were injured in the attack.
Coal mine workers were traveling on a bus on their regular route from the mine in the Pavlograd district through Ternovka—approximately 65 kilometers from the front line—when Russian drones struck the bus. The explosions shattered the windows and shrapnel struck the bus, killing and injuring the passengers. People in other nearby vehicles and those who rushed to help the victims of the initial blast were also reportedly injured.
"Miners, like all civilians, must be able to go to work and return home without fear," said HRMMU Director Daniel Bell. "This incident demonstrates the danger civilians face when fighting affects everyday life—far beyond the active combat zone."
At the site of the attack, UN personnel recorded two craters—one in front of and one behind the destroyed bus—as well as visible debris from the drones used in the strikes. One witness reported seeing a drone and then hearing a series of explosions.
The injured miner told UN human rights activists that after the first explosion, he climbed out of the bus through the window, hearing the screams of those remaining inside, and then a second explosion occurred a few minutes later.
"This is all wrong," he told representatives of the HRMMU. "We're ordinary miners. People were simply returning home to their families."
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