A drone attack carried out by Russia on a passenger train in northeastern Ukraine resulted in the deaths of five individuals, according to prosecutors. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy condemned the incident as an act of terrorism. Prosecutors reported discovering fragments of five bodies near a village in the Kharkiv region where the strike occurred. The train was traveling from Chop, close to Ukraine’s western borders with Hungary and Slovakia, to the town of Barvinkove. Images shared online depicted at least two train carriages engulfed in flames next to a snow-covered railbed.
Zelenskyy expressed on the Telegram messaging app that any drone strike on a civilian train should be viewed as terrorism universally, devoid of any military justification. He emphasized the importance of safeguarding lives and called for global unity in pressuring Russia. Prosecutors specified that one drone targeted the train while two others struck an area adjacent to it. Zelenskyy mentioned that the train, carrying over 200 passengers, including 18 in the impacted wagon, had four fatalities. Earlier reports indicated 155 passengers onboard. Deputy Prime Minister Oleksiy Kuleba labeled the attack by three drones as a direct act of Russian terror.
Ukrzaliznytsia’s CEO, Oleksandr Pertsovskyi, expressed gratitude towards rescue teams and passengers who assisted and assured the continuity of train operations despite the challenges. Meanwhile, Russian drones conducted an assault on the southern city of Odesa overnight, resulting in the deaths of three individuals and injuring 25 others. Zelenskyy criticized the brutal attack on Odesa by more than 50 Russian drones, undermining ongoing diplomatic efforts to resolve the conflict.
In another incident, Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city, faced power outages with 40% of households affected following a combined drone and missile attack. The Ukrainian air force reported neutralizing 135 out of the 165 drones launched by Russian troops. Zelenskyy called for international support in pressuring Moscow to achieve lasting peace and ensure security guarantees for Ukraine post any peace agreement to prevent future Russian aggression. Talks between Russian and Ukrainian officials, facilitated by the U.S., are set to resume in the coming days.