Russian drone strike on Ukraine train station kills at least 14

At least 14 individuals lost their lives and another 14 sustained injuries in a Russian drone strike on a railway station in Dnipro, Ukraine, according to authorities on Thursday. This marks the highest number of civilian casualties in weeks. The attack came alongside reports of at least six additional deaths from multiple air strikes across the country.

Dnipropetrovsk's regional governor, Oleksandr Hanzha, reported via Telegram that both a commuter train and a regular passenger train were present at the station during the incident. Following the initial report of 13 fatalities, Hanzha revised the death toll to 14. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky denounced the "horrific attack" and reiterated his demand for harsher sanctions against Russia, urging the European Union, the United States, and the Group of Seven (G7) nations to implement more stringent economic measures.

The president shared images and video purportedly depicting the aftermath of the attack, showcasing injured individuals being rescued and blurred images of bodies on the platform. Ukrainian Railways confirmed that a jet-powered drone had targeted a platform where a train from Dnipro to Zaporizhzhya was waiting. Passengers had disregarded an earlier warning of heightened danger and remained on the platform.

Dnipro Mayor Borys Filatov characterized the attack as a tragedy, emphasizing that the train carried civilians. Ukraine has been engaged in self-defense against Russia's full-scale invasion for over four and a half years, with Western support. Russian forces have repeatedly targeted trains and railway infrastructure in Ukraine. Six more fatalities occurred in separate attacks on Thursday.

In Chernihiv, two 15-year-old girls died in an unspecified terror attack, resulting in 23 other injuries. In Kremenchuk, three individuals perished when a drone struck a multi-story residential building, leading to 19 casualties and 11 hospitalizations. In the village of Bilenke, a 49-year-old man died, and three others between 51 and 75 years old were hospitalized following a Russian attack.

Additionally, a public minibus in Zaporizhzhya was hit by a drone, injuring one person, and a 56-year-old woman in another drone attack on a bus suffered critical injuries. Meanwhile, Ukraine conducted one of its largest drone strikes on Russia to date, with Russian officials reporting that over 1,200 drones were intercepted overnight. Moscow revealed that its air defenses had intercepted 1,214 Ukrainian drones over its territory.