Zelensky Denounces Russian Drone Attack On Passenger Train As “Terrorism”

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has condemned a Russian drone strike on a packed passenger train in north-eastern Ukraine, describing the attack as “terrorism.” Local officials say the incident killed at least five people and left several others injured.

According to authorities, more than 200 passengers were on board when a drone hit one of the carriages in the Kharkiv region on Tuesday, while two additional drones exploded nearby. Zelensky said 18 people were inside the affected carriage at the time and stressed that there was no “military justification” for targeting civilians.

Russia has not commented on the incident, though it has stepped up drone and missile attacks on Ukraine’s energy and transport infrastructure during what has been described as the harshest winter in years.

Elsewhere, Ukraine’s southern port city of Odesa was struck by dozens of drones, killing three people and injuring many others. Energy officials reported that a local facility sustained “enormous damage” overnight into Tuesday, while Odesa regional chief Serhii Lysak said attacks continued into Wednesday for a second consecutive night.

In the Kyiv region, police said a residential apartment block was hit, killing a couple and injuring their four-year-old child in a district near the capital. 

The continued strikes have left millions of Ukrainians without heating, electricity and water. Since Russian President Vladimir Putin launched a full-scale invasion in February 2022, Moscow has seized control of about 20% of Ukrainian territory.

In a late-night social media post on Tuesday, Zelensky wrote: “In any country, a drone strike on a civilian train would be considered in exactly the same way – purely as terrorism.”

Images released by Ukraine’s emergency services showed at least one train carriage badly damaged and still burning following the attack. Kharkiv’s regional prosecutor’s office said the strike occurred near the village of Yazykove.

Officials said the train was travelling from the western border town of Chop to Barvinkove in the Kharkiv region, passing through the regional capital, Kharkiv. The route extends further east into the Donetsk region and is commonly used by civilians as well as Ukrainian soldiers travelling to and from leave, along with family members visiting them.

In Odesa, officials said Russia launched more than 50 drones overnight into Tuesday. Rescue teams later recovered three bodies from the rubble after several floors of a residential building collapsed, while multiple nearby buildings sustained damage.

The latest attacks come despite ongoing diplomatic efforts to end the war. Ukraine and Russia held talks last week in the United Arab Emirates, with US negotiators also involved. All sides described the discussions as constructive, although major territorial disputes remain unresolved, and further negotiations are expected this weekend.