A deadly Russian drone attack on a railway station in Shostka, Ukraine’s northern Sumy region, has killed one person and injured around 30 others, Ukrainian officials said on Saturday. The assault, which involved two drones, struck passenger trains, prompting Ukrainian leaders to accuse Moscow of deliberately targeting civilians.
President Volodymyr Zelenskiy condemned the “brutal Russian drone strike,” sharing footage on Telegram that showed wrecked, burning train carriages with shattered windows. Ukraine’s foreign minister Andrii Sybiha accused Russia of using the “double tap” tactic — launching a second strike to hit rescuers and evacuees — calling it one of the Kremlin’s most inhumane strategies.
Local authorities confirmed that eight of the injured were hospitalized, emphasizing that civilians were clearly the targets. “The Russians could not have been unaware that they were targeting civilians. This is terrorism, which the world has no right to ignore,” Zelenskiy stated.
Over the past two months, Russia has intensified airstrikes on Ukraine’s railway infrastructure, attacking it almost daily. Moscow continues to deny intentionally hitting civilian areas, despite thousands of civilian deaths since the war began.
Oleksandr Pertsovskyi, CEO of Ukraine’s state rail company, told Reuters that the drones appeared to be “hunting for locomotives,” damaging both engines and passenger cars. The targeted trains included a local commuter service and one bound for Kyiv.
Pertsovskyi added that the attacks aim to make border regions like Shostka — just 50 kilometers from Russia — unsafe for travel and habitation. “They are doing everything to make people afraid — to travel, to gather, to live,” he said.
The escalating strikes highlight Russia’s growing focus on crippling Ukraine’s transportation network and demoralizing civilians near the frontlines.