SHOSTKA, Ukraine (BN24) — At least 30 people were injured following a Russian drone strike on a railway station in Shostka, a city in northeastern Ukraine’s Sumy region, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Friday.
In a post on X, Zelensky said preliminary reports indicated that train staff and passengers were present at the site during the attack. Emergency services were on scene assisting the injured, though exact casualty figures were still being confirmed. Zelensky shared video footage showing a train carriage engulfed in flames following the strike.
“The Russians could not have been unaware that they were targeting civilians. This is terrorism, which the world has no right to ignore,” Zelensky wrote. “Every day, Russia takes people’s lives. And only strength can make them stop.”
Regional governor Oleh Hryhorov said three children, aged 8, 11, and 14, were among those injured. Ukrainian Railways officials reported that two strikes hit two passenger trains amid ongoing evacuations from the area. The attack was described as a “vile” effort to disrupt connections with frontline communities.
Shostka is located about 50 kilometers from the Russian border. Oleksandr Pertsovsky, head of Ukrainian Railways, told reporters the attack had no military purpose and was intended to sow panic. He noted an uptick in Russian assaults targeting Ukraine’s railway infrastructure.
Zelensky urged Western nations to move beyond statements of support and take concrete action, emphasizing the urgency of bolstering Ukraine’s defenses.
Russian aerial attacks have intensified in recent weeks, with daily drone and missile strikes across Ukraine. Kyiv has repeatedly called on Western allies for advanced air defense systems to counter the growing threat.
Last Sunday, a massive 12-hour Russian assault involving hundreds of drones and dozens of missiles killed four people and wounded at least 70 in Kyiv.
Ukrainian Deputy Defense Minister Ivan Havryliuk stressed that strengthening air defenses in Ukraine also benefits European security amid expanding drone activity in European airspace.
Efforts led by U.S. President Joe Biden and European leaders to end the war continue, but Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly rejected ceasefire proposals. Kyiv and its allies accuse Moscow of stalling peace talks while continuing military operations despite heavy losses.
The U.S. recently approved a program enabling European allies to purchase American-made weapons for Ukraine and is considering a Ukrainian request for long-range missiles capable of striking deep inside Russia.
