A Russian drone struck a busy railway station platform in the central Ukrainian city of Dnipro on Thursday morning, killing at least 13 people and wounding over a dozen others as passengers waited to board trains, local authorities said.
The strike occurred around 11 a.m. as a passenger train was preparing to depart for Zaporizhzhia, according to Ukrainian Railways. Ukraine’s Air Force reported that Russian forces launched four jet-powered drones at the area, with air defense crews shooting down three of them before the fourth struck the platform.
Casualties and Emergency Response
Officials provided differing injury counts in the immediate aftermath of the blast. Dnipropetrovsk Oblast Gov. Oleksandr Hanzha stated that medics arrived rapidly to deliver emergency aid, with The Kyiv Independent reporting at least 13 people were wounded. CNN reported that local authorities counted 10 people injured alongside the 13 confirmed dead.
Dnipro Mayor Borys Filatov said on social media that the unmanned aircraft hit an electric commuter train, calling the attack a tragedy that caused widespread casualties. Ukrainian Railways noted that despite sirens sounding and warnings of heightened danger broadcast through the station, commuters remained on the platform waiting for departures.
The incident reflects a broader and increasingly dangerous Russian push against Ukraine’s rail network. Ukrainian rail operators have instituted strict shelter protocols during alerts, occasionally halting trains in rural areas for hours. However, large crowds waiting on station platforms remain vulnerable when passengers hesitate to seek underground shelters, rail officials said.
Diplomatic Fallout and Waves of Strikes
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky swiftly condemned the assault, noting that the platform held both a commuter train and a regular passenger train at the time of the blast.
Zelensky linked the attack to recent international diplomatic moves, criticizing the easing of economic pressure on Moscow. U.S. President Donald Trump waived several sanctions on Russian fossil fuel sales earlier in the month and permitted Russian diesel exports to reach global markets, CNN reported. Reports also surfaced Wednesday that Washington was discussing lifting sanctions on Russia’s sovereign wealth fund.
Zelensky argued that such concessions had failed to curb Russian aggression, writing on social media that sanctions against the Kremlin and its military apparatus must remain firm throughout the conflict.
Deadly Attacks in Other Regions
The strike in Dnipro was part of a series of daytime attacks across Ukraine on Thursday, according to regional officials.
In northern Ukraine, Russian forces fired cruise missiles into the center of Chernihiv around noon, killing two 15-year-old girls, regional Gov. Viacheslav Chaus reported. City administration head Dmytro Bryzhynskyi said the strike injured at least 23 people, including four children.
Further south, in the Poltava Oblast city of Kremenchuk, Russian drones hit an apartment building in a residential district, killing at least three people and injuring 15 others, local authorities said.
Emergency crews in Dnipro continued search and recovery operations through Thursday afternoon, while officials worked to assess the structural damage to the rail terminal and restore disrupted train schedules.
