Russia has accused Ukraine of carrying out a drone strike that allegedly killed eight civilians and injured 11 others in the Russian-controlled part of Ukraine's Donetsk region, according to Reuters.

Russian-installed authorities in the region said the incident occurred when a passenger bus was hit by a drone while stopped to pick up passengers in the village of Yenakiieve. The vehicle was reportedly operating a route between Moscow and Simferopol in Russian-occupied Crimea.

Denis Pushilin, the Russian-appointed head of the Donetsk region, described the incident as a deliberate attack, saying Ukrainian forces had committed ?another act of unprecedented, inhuman aggression.?

Officials said the bus had 53 registered passengers at the time of the journey. Following the incident, Russian investigators opened a criminal case, classifying the event as a ?terrorist attack,? and said efforts were underway to identify those responsible.

Images published by VGTRK correspondent Andrei Rudenko showed a heavily damaged and burned-out bus with shattered windows, alongside debris allegedly linked to a drone strike.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said the strike formed part of what she called a Ukrainian ?hunt for civilians,? while presidential envoy Rodion Miroshnik claimed the attack was intended to intimidate civilian populations. He also accused Kyiv of using Western military and financial support ?to paralyze civilian transport links and create unbearable living conditions.?

There was no immediate response from Ukraine regarding the allegations. Both sides have consistently denied intentionally targeting civilians in the conflict, Reuters noted.

The claims came shortly after Russia launched a large-scale drone and missile attack on Ukraine that reportedly killed 23 people and injured around 130. Moscow said that operation was a response to a Ukrainian strike on a dormitory in Russian-controlled Luhansk, which Kyiv has denied targeting deliberately.