Minsk urges citizens to avoid Russia after Moscow blames Ukraine for second Belarusian bus attack

Key Points:

• Alexander Volfovich, Belarus’s Security Council state secretary, urged citizens to avoid traveling to Russia, especially border regions, following a drone attack on a Belarusian tourist bus in Russia’s Bryansk region that wounded three people.
• Russian officials claim a Ukrainian drone deliberately targeted the bus, while Belarusian sources suggest the bus was accidentally hit by a drone falling near a highway; the Belarusian TV network later deleted a statement reflecting this accidental strike narrative.
• Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya also warned against travel to Russia, whereas Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko had not commented on the incident at the time of reporting.
• Ukraine’s General Staff dismissed the reported drone strike as a staged provocation, a claim echoed by Ukrainian security services regarding a previous similar attack on a Belarusian bus in the same region that resulted in one death and multiple injuries.
• This incident marks the second attack on Belarusian passenger buses in Russia’s Bryansk region within a month, raising safety concerns for Belarusian travelers amid ongoing military tensions.