Ukraine attacked Belarusian bus to provoke Minsk — Russian Senator

MOSCOW, July 2. /TASS/. Ukraine has deliberately attacked a Belarusian bus to intimidate people of the republic and provoke it to retaliate, Russian Senator from the Kherson Region Igor Kastyukevich told TASS.

"I am convinced that the attack that the Kiev fascists carried out near the settlement of Krasnaya Gora in the Bryansk Region on the Minsk-Anapa bus was deliberate and planned. It has become the second one recently," Kastyukevich said.

He added that in this way Ukraine provokes Belarus, dragging it into a direct conflict. Kiev is also trying to intimidate residents of the Union State, threatening reprisals for trying to enter the territory of Russia.

"I would venture to suggest that a burning story will now be hastily prepared for the Western audience about how 'bad Russians are so bad that they attack buses themselves and then push all the blame onto Ukraine.' However, there have already been countless such tales, and Europeans outside of high offices have long disbelieved them. As well as the fact that it is necessary to re-allocate money to Ukraine at the expense of taxpayers," Kastyukevich said.

On Thursday, Ukraine launched a targeted attack on a passenger tourist bus travelling from Minsk to Anapa, on the border with Belarus in the Bryansk Region. Two bus drivers and one passenger were injured.