Two Russian drones struck passenger trains at a station in Ukraine’s northern Sumy region, killing one person and injuring around 30 others, Ukrainian officials said on Saturday, accusing Moscow of deliberately targeting civilians, Reuters reported.
“A brutal Russian drone strike on the railway station in Shostka, Sumy region,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy wrote on Telegram, sharing a video showing a wrecked, burning passenger carriage and others with their windows blown out.
Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha accused Russia of intentionally conducting two strikes on passenger trains. “This is one of the most brutal Russian tactics — the so-called ‘double tap’, when the second strike hits rescuers and people being evacuated,” he said in a statement released by his ministry on social media.
Sumy region governor Oleh Hryhorov said eight people had been taken to hospital.
“The Russians could not have been unaware that they were targeting civilians. This is terrorism, which the world has no right to ignore,” Zelenskiy wrote.
Moscow has intensified its airstrikes on Ukraine’s railway infrastructure, attacking nearly every day for the past two months. Russia has repeatedly denied targeting civilians in the war, despite widespread evidence of civilian casualties.
In a video interview from a train en route to the site of the attack, Oleksandr Pertsovskyi, CEO of Ukraine’s state railway company, told Reuters that the drones appeared to have targeted locomotives, describing them as “hunted specifically.”
Medics and emergency crews were at the scene providing aid, he added. Oksana Tarasiuk, head of the local district administration, told Ukraine’s public broadcaster that around 30 people were injured, though no fatalities had been reported in the immediate aftermath.
The attack comes amid a renewed Russian campaign targeting Ukraine’s railway infrastructure, which has faced near-daily strikes in recent weeks.
Volodymyr Zelenskiy condemns ‘savage’ Russian drone strike on railway station
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Saturday denounced what he called a “savage” Russian drone attack on the railway station in the city of Shostka in the northeastern Sumy region, saying the strike deliberately targeted civilians.
Zelenskyy said all emergency services were at the scene and helping victims. “So far, we know of at least 30 victims,” he said, adding that both railway staff and passengers were among those caught in the attack.
“The Russians could not have been unaware that they were striking civilians. And this is terror the world must not ignore,” Zelenskyy wrote, urging stronger international action against Moscow.
“Every day Russia takes people’s lives. And only strength can make them stop,” he said, calling on Europe and the United States to turn their statements of support into tangible steps. “Lip service is not enough now. Strong action is needed.”
*With Agency Inputs
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