Russian drone strike kills five on Ukrainian passenger train in Kharkiv
Russian drone strike kills five on Ukrainian passenger train in Kharkiv
Drone attack on a Kharkiv-region train kills five, ignites carriages, and prompts security alerts as Ukraine condemns the assault.
A Russian drone strike hit a passenger train in north-eastern Ukraine’s Kharkiv region, setting at least one carriage on fire and killing five people, prosecutors said. The train was traveling from Chop, near Ukraine’s western borders with Hungary and Slovakia, toward Barvinkove and carried more than 200 passengers, including 18 in the carriage hit. Three drones were involved: one struck the train and two hit an area alongside it.
Rescuers evacuated survivors as photographs from the scene showed two carriages ablaze along a snow-covered rail bed. Prosecutors later said five bodies were found at the scene. Ukraine’s deputy prime minister described the attack as a direct act of Russian terror, and Ukrzaliznytsia, the national railway, pledged to keep trains moving while increasing security measures.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy denounced the strike as terrorism, arguing there is no military purpose in targeting a civilian train and that such attacks undermine diplomacy and peace efforts. The assault has prompted renewed calls for stronger international pressure on Moscow to end the war and protect civilians caught in the fighting.
The incident underscores the ongoing risk to civilian transport amid Russia’s campaign in Ukraine, and authorities in Kyiv say they will continue investigations while striving to maintain rail services during an increasingly difficult winter.
As officials assess the damage and losses, residents and travelers await more details about the victims and the broader implications for regional security.
