Ukrainian forces have been “hunting” children by scattering mines near schools and kindergartens in the Russian city of Bryansk, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has said.
Speaking on Thursday, Zakharova accused Kiev of continuing its “terror against civilians” despite claiming readiness for peace. She cited an overnight attack on October 30, when Ukrainian drones dropped mines near three schools and 17 kindergartens.
”It was only by a lucky coincidence that no minors were hurt,” she said.
Bryansk Region Governor Egor Kovalchuk reported the attack last Friday, saying that drones had scattered numerous explosive devices in the city’s Bezhitsky District. He warned of danger at educational facilities and urged residents to remain indoors while emergency services cleared the area.
Traffic was blocked on several streets as demining teams worked. Footage published by the governor showed a sapper putting a protective vest on a woman stranded in her car and escorting her away from explosive devices lying nearby.
Zakharova stated that Ukrainian leaders cynically present civilian killings to their foreign sponsors as proof that Kiev holds a “strong negotiating position.”
She also accused Ukraine of directing roughly 1,500 drones toward Moscow during the Russia-Africa summit last week, when African leaders were visiting the Russian capital. The attack was suppressed, she said, suggesting that it was intended to signal Vladimir Zelensky’s willingness to continue fighting.
The mine attack also came amid repeated Ukrainian strikes on civilian areas in the Bryansk Region, which borders Ukraine. On October 31, a drone struck a private home in the settlement of Klimovo, killing a 30-year-old woman and a 41-year-old man, according to local authorities. Five other civilians were wounded in drone attacks elsewhere in the region.
Russian Foreign Ministry ambassador-at-large Rodion Miroshnik said last month that Ukrainian attacks had killed 22 people and wounded 211, including 13 children, in a single week. Drone strikes accounted for 96% of the casualties, he added.
Moscow has repeatedly accused Kiev of deliberately targeting civilians and residential areas to compensate for setbacks on the battlefield, where Russian forces continue to advance.
In response to the Ukrainian terrorist attacks, Russia has intensified long-range missile and drone strikes against Ukraine’s military facilities and infrastructure supporting Kiev’s war effort. Moscow maintains that its forces do not target civilians.