One person died and at least 30 were injured in a Russian drone strike on a Ukrainian railway station on Saturday. Oleksiy Kuleba, Ukraine’s deputy prime minister and reconstruction minister, said Russia struck two passenger trains in quick succession, according to The Associated Press.
‘Lip service is not enough’
Russia first targeted a local commuter service and then one bound for Kyiv, said Kuleba. He said that the second drone hit while an evacuation was underway.
Download the SAN app today to stay up-to-date with Unbiased. Straight Facts™.
Point phone camera here
“The Russians could not have been unaware that they were striking civilians. And this is terror the world must not ignore. Every day Russia takes people’s lives. And only strength can make them stop,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a post to X. “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.”
Oleksandr Pertsovsky, head of Ukraine’s national rail operator Ukrzaliznytsia, said the strikes severed connections to communities near the Russian border. “We’ve had repeated attacks on a regional train traveling from Tereshchenske to Novhorod-Siverskyi, about 25 to 30 miles from the border,” Pertsovsky said. “Right after the first attack, while passengers were being evacuated and the injured were receiving medical attention, there was another strike on a Kyiv-Shostka train nearby.”
European Union officals discuss drone defense
Elsewhere, European Union officials gathered in Munich Saturday to address issues related to drone defense. The meeting took place amid a recent string of drone incidents at airports across Europe, including Munich’s. The Kremlin has denied any involvement in the incidents.
Munich’s airport reopened Saturday morning after it was shut for the second time in two days. Munich Airport also suspended flights late Thursday after several drone sightings. Operations resumed at 5 a.m. Friday.
The shutdown forced 15 incoming flights to divert to other airports, including Stuttgart and Vienna, while 17 departures were grounded, affecting nearly 3,000 passengers.
The incident is the latest in a series of drone incursions across Europe that have raised alarms within NATO. Last month, alliance aircraft shot down Russian drones over Poland and intercepted warplanes violating Estonia’s airspace.
