At least 30 people have been injured following a Russian drone strike on a railway station in north-east Ukraine, as reported by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Zelensky detailed that the drone strike occurred in the city of Shostka, located in the Sumy region, during a time when train staff and passengers were present at the site.
Emergency services have been deployed to assist the injured, with ongoing efforts to compile information about those affected.
In a video shared on social media, Zelensky showed a damaged train carriage engulfed in flames as a result of the strike.
Zelensky characterized the incident as terrorism, claiming, The Russians could not have been unaware that they were targeting civilians. He called for international action to address what he described as daily life-threatening attacks from Russia.
According to regional governor Oleh Hryhorov and the Ukrainian Railways body, two strikes targeted passenger trains, affecting multiple individuals, including three children aged 8, 11, and 14. The second strike coincided with ongoing evacuations from the area.
The strike has also been condemned as an attempt to disrupt communications with frontline communities, as Shostka lies just approximately 50 km from the Russian border. Ukrainian Railways head Oleksandr Pertsovsky expressed that the attack had no military purpose and was aimed at instilling panic among civilians.
As Russian aerial assaults on Ukraine escalate, with reports of hundreds of drones and missiles being launched regularly, Ukrainian officials have renewed their calls for advanced air defense systems from Western allies.
Previous attacks have led to significant casualties, prompting continued discussions in the international arena about effective military assistance to Ukraine as it strives to defend against Russian aggression.
While diplomacy efforts continue, with U.S. President Donald Trump and European allies advocating for a resolution, no significant ceasefire has been reached, as Russian President Vladimir Putin dismisses calls for peace talks.