At least 30 people have been injured following a Russian drone strike on a railway station in north-east Ukraine, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said.
In a post on X, he noted that preliminary reports indicated train staff and passengers were present at the site of the strike in the city of Shostka, located in the Sumy region.
Emergency services are on the scene, providing assistance to the injured, and efforts to determine the full scope of the casualties are underway. Zelensky also shared a harrowing video depicting a damaged train carriage engulfed in flames.
The Russians could not have been unaware that they were targeting civilians. This is terrorism, which the world has no right to ignore, Zelensky expressed on social media, reinforcing that every day Russia takes people's lives. Only strength can make them stop.
According to regional officials and the Ukrainian Railways body, the drone strikes hit two passenger trains. Among the injured were three children, aged 8, 11, and 14, indicating the indiscriminate nature of these attacks.
The second strike occurred while evacuations were already in progress, making it a vile attack aimed at disrupting communication with frontline communities, as stated by the railways body.
Ukrainian Railways head Oleksandr Pertsovsky condemned the strike, clarifying there was no military purpose to it, marking it instead as an attempt to sow panic among the populace. This attack reflects a worrying trend, as Russian assaults on railway infrastructure have intensified in recent weeks.
Amid these developments, Zelensky made a renewed plea for action from Western nations, emphasizing that the time for resolute action has come in response to the ongoing violence.
Russia has ramped up its aerial assaults on Ukraine recently, frequently launching hundreds of drones and numerous missiles, prompting Ukraine to urge its allies for advanced air defense systems.
The growing number of incidents highlights the critical need for international support as Ukraine navigates ongoing hostilities and strives for its sovereignty.
