Russian drone attack on Ukraine's Dnipro railway station, 13 dead

At least 13 people have been killed and more than 10 injured in a horrific drone attack carried out by Russia in the Ukrainian city of Dnipro. On Thursday morning, when the Dnipro railway station was crowded with passengers, Russia launched this attack using a jet-powered drone. According to a DW report, it has also been confirmed that the death toll has risen to 14. The attack occurred while a regular local train and a regular passenger train were standing on the station's platform.

Ukrainian railway operator 'Ukrzaliznytsia' stated in a post on Telegram that the train standing at the station was headed towards Zaporizhzhia. This was train number 866 (Dnipro-Zaporizhzhia). The Ukrainian Air Force stated that three drones were shot down in the attack that took place during the day, but a fourth drone breached the defense system and struck the station. Railway head Oleksandr Pertsovskyi stated on Facebook that although an 'elevated threat level' warning had been issued, unfortunately, a large number of people were present on the platform.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has termed this attack 'horrific' and has demanded that the international community take strict action against Russia. He wrote on X, how many terrorist attacks has Russia carried out on our people instead of reducing tension after some sanctions on Russian businessmen and the Russian energy sector were lifted? Zelenskyy called on America, Europe, and the G7 to impose new and stronger sanctions against Russia's war machinery. He made it clear that as long as the Russian war continues, there should be no relaxation in sanctions against Moscow.

Dnipro Mayor Borys Filatov also termed this incident a 'tragedy'. He stated on social media that a civilian electric train was targeted by a drone. Photos circulating on social media showed bodies scattered on the railway station platform and police officers helping there. Ukrainian emergency services are working at the site. Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal also condemned the attack, saying that Russia is deliberately targeting civilians in trains, stations, and residential buildings, and there can be no excuse for this terrorism.

Along with this attack, officials said that five other people have been killed in Russian attacks in other parts of Ukraine. In an attack in the center of Chernihiv city, located near Kyiv in the north, two 15-year-old girls were killed and more than a dozen people were injured. Meanwhile, a drone attack occurred on a multi-story residential building in Kremenchuk, in which two people were killed and several others, including a six-year-old child, were injured.

Russia has been targeting trains and stations since the first days of its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, resulting in the destruction of hundreds of locomotives and the loss of lives of railway workers and passengers. Ukraine's railway network is extremely important for transport in the country because commercial air travel is closed due to the war. In the month of September alone, more than 5,800 trains had to be evacuated due to the risk of drone attacks. Whenever a potential attack is reported, the train is stopped and passengers are told to wait at a safe distance.

It is noteworthy that Russia has attacked more than 1,700 railway facilities so far in 2026, including stations, locomotives, and passenger wagons. These attacks are part of Russia's campaign to damage Ukraine's critical infrastructure. Meanwhile, French President Emmanuel Macron also expressed 'deep concern' over Russia targeting civilians and said that more efforts are needed to bring Russia to the negotiating table. Russia and Ukraine may discuss ending the war next month in the presence of American representatives, but Russia is demanding more territories in eastern Ukraine, while Ukraine is not ready to compromise on that.

This attack occurred at a time when attempts at a local ceasefire are being made in cities like Oleshky. People living in Oleshky have had to face dire situations, such as hunting pigeons to eat due to food shortages in the occupied areas. Russia has recently increased attacks on energy installations as well, so that Ukraine can be pushed into darkness and cold during the winter.