Russia strikes Ukrainian train at station: 18 killed

At least 18 people were killed Thursday in a wave of Russian strikes across Ukraine, including two 15-year-old girls. The deadliest attack struck the railway station in the city of Dnipro, where a Russian drone hit a passenger train standing on the platform en route to Zaporizhzhia.

Ukrainian authorities reported that at least 13 people were killed and 13 others wounded in the Dnipro strike. Ukraine's railway company said the train was at the station preparing to depart when it was hit by a jet-powered drone.

The Ukrainian Air Force said that around 11:00 a.m., four Russian drones of that type were launched toward the area, and air defense systems managed to shoot down three of them before they reached their targets. Despite air raid warnings and alerts of heightened danger, passengers remained on the platform when the strike occurred.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky responded sharply to the attack, writing that Russia had struck a platform where a commuter train and a regular passenger train were standing. He called the incident a horrific Russian attack and accused Moscow of continuing to target civilians.

Zelensky also questioned how many more terror attacks Russia would carry out against Ukrainian civilians, following the lifting of sanctions on several Russian oligarchs and energy companies. The Dnipro strike adds to an ongoing Russian campaign against Ukraine's railway infrastructure, which has included attacks on passenger trains.

Russia also struck the center of Chernihiv in northern Ukraine. According to regional governor Vyacheslav Chaus, the strike was carried out using cruise missiles, and two 15-year-old girls were killed.

City administration head Dmytro Bryzhinsky said at least 23 others were wounded, including four children. In the city of Kremenchuk in Poltava region, additional casualties were reported after Russian drones hit a residential building in a populated area. Local authorities reported three dead and 15 wounded.