Dozens injured after ‘savage’ Russian drone strike hits passenger train

Dozens of people have been injured after a ‘savage’ Russian drone strike hit a passenger train in Ukraine on Saturday.

At least 30 people were injured in the attack on Shostka, a city near Kyiv, located just 43 miles (70km) from Russia’s border.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky described the strike as ‘savage’, causing ‘terror the world must not ignore’.

In a post on X, the president shared footage showing the aftermath of the strike.

The video revealed plumes of black smoke billowing above train tracks as bright orange flames burned from inside the derelict carriage.

Parts of the damaged carriage and other debris littered the floor.

Mr Zelensky said the emergency services rushed to the scene, and an investigation has been launched to determine the exact number of injured people.

‘A savage Russian drone strike on the railway station in Shostka, Sumy region. All emergency services are already on the scene and have begun helping people,’ he wrote.

He added that at least 30 people were injured as the strike hit both passengers and train staff.

Mr Zelensky accused Russia of ‘taking people’s lives’ every day, more than three and a half years after Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

He urged leaders across Europe and the US to stop their ‘lip service’, calling on them to act swiftly to stop the war in Ukraine.

‘The Russians could not have been unaware that they were striking civilians. And this is terror the world must not ignore,’ he wrote.

‘Every day, Russia takes people’s lives. And only strength can make them stop.

‘We’ve heard resolute statements from Europe and America – and it’s high time to turn them all into reality, together with everyone who refuses to accept murder and terror as normal.

‘Lip service is not enough now. Strong action is needed.’

At the time of the attack, the train was making its journey into Ukraine’s capital, Local Governor Oleh Hryhorov said.

The drone strike comes just a day after Russia launched its biggest attack of the war on a natural gas facility in the Kharkiv region, Ukrainian officials said.

Some 50,000 households in Ukraine faced blackouts and power cuts on Friday night and into Saturday after Russian missiles struck the country’s grid, according to a local energy operator, Chernihivoblenergo.

The recent strikes come after a series of attacks on Kyiv as the war continues.

Last weekend, Ukraine’s capital and its surrounding areas were hit by ‘hundreds’ of Russian drones and missiles, killing at least four people and injuring at least 40 others.

Russian forces launched 109 drones and three ballistic missiles at Ukraine overnight on Friday and into Saturday, the Ukrainian military reported.

It added that 73 of the drones were shot down or sent off course.

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