Ukraine

Traffic collision in Mykolaiv region kills 12, injures 6

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Traffic collision in Mykolaiv region kills 12, injures 6
Police inspecting the site of a collision between a lorry and a minibus off the M-14 highway in Mykolaiv region, July 4, 2026. Photo: Mykolaiv Oblast Police Communication Department.

The driver of a minibus traveling from Odesa to Mykolaiv lost control of the vehicle, causing it to collide with a truck and killing 12 people, according to police reports on July 4.

The accident occurred on the M-14 highway, close to Ukraine's Black Sea coast, with six others injured at the time of publication.

President Volodymyr Zelensky offered his condolences to the families and loved ones of those who had died.

Witnesses to the accident claim it was provoked by a driver heading in the wrong direction on the highway toward the minibus, according to a Mykolaiv police press statement.

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Police arresting a man suspected of having caused a traffic collision between a truck and a minibus, killing 12 and injuring an additional six people, on July 4, 2026. Photo: Mykolaiv Oblast Police Communication Department.

The statement goes on to say that the police have stopped that car and apprehended its driver, a 45-year-old from another region.

Police officers are still investigating the exact circumstances of the incident and identifying the victims.

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Chris Powers

Brussels Correspondent

Chris Powers is the Brussels Correspondent with the Kyiv Independent. He reports on EU news and policy developments relevant to Ukraine, bridging the gap between Brussels and Kyiv. He was formerly the Defense and Tech Editor at the EU media outlet Euractiv. Chris holds a BA in History from the University of Cambridge and an MA in European Studies from the College of Europe.

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