2 February 2026, Kyiv – An attack with drones in Ternivka, Dnipropetrovsk region, killed and injured coal mine workers commuting home from their shift on Sunday afternoon, the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine (HRMMU) confirmed today after visiting the site and interviewing witnesses. Local authorities reported that 12 civilians were killed and 16 injured in the incident.
The mine employees were traveling by bus on a regular commuter route from the Pavlohrad mine through Ternivka, approximately 65 kilometers from the frontline, when multiple Russian drones struck the road near the vehicle over several minutes. The explosions blew out the windows of the bus and riddled it with fragments, killing and injuring passengers. Other civilians driving nearby, and individuals who rushed to assist victims of the first explosion, were also reportedly among the casualties.
“Mine workers, like all civilians, should be able to commute to and from work without fear,” said Danielle Bell, Head of HRMMU. “This incident highlights the dangers civilians face when hostilities extend into areas of everyday life, even well beyond the active fighting zone.”
At the scene of the attack, UN human rights officers observed two craters, in front of and behind the destroyed bus, along with visible remnants of the drones used in the attack. One witness described seeing a drone and hearing a series of explosions.
A coal miner injured in the attack described climbing out of a bus window after the first explosion, hearing screams from inside the bus, and then a second explosion a few minutes later. “This is all wrong,” he told HRMMU. “We are ordinary coal mine workers. People were simply returning to their homes, to their families.”
