14 killed in Russian drone attack on Dnipro train station platform, Zelensky condemns ‘horrific’ strike

A Russian drone struck a busy railway platform in Ukraine’s city of Dnipro on Thursday, killing at least 14 people and injuring others. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky condemned the attack as 'horrific' and called for stronger action from Kyiv’s international allies. The strike occurred as Russia and Ukraine maintained a fragile local ceasefire in the occupied city of Oleshky, where residents have faced months of shortages of food, water and medicine. Despite the truce entering its third day, local officials reported that at least 20 people had been killed and more than 70 injured in attacks across Ukraine.

Zelensky said the Dnipro railway station was hit on a platform where a regular commuter train and a regular passenger train were standing. By Thursday afternoon, Dnipropetrovsk regional governor Oleksandr Ganzha reported that the death toll had risen to 14, with another 14 people wounded. Six of the injured were in severe condition with multiple shrapnel wounds.

An 11-year-old boy was among those injured, while one man had both legs amputated, according to the governor. Zelensky described the strike as horrific and insisted that sanctions against Moscow and its war machine must not be eased for as long as this Russian war continues. Images released by Ukrainian emergency services showed bodies on the platform, rescuers assisting victims and two passenger trains that had been burnt out, with shattered windows. French President Emmanuel Macron expressed outrage over the attack and stressed the need for far more than a localised ceasefire such as the one in Oleshky.

EU calls for greater pressure on Russia

European Union Council President Antonio Costa called for increased pressure on Moscow following what he described as a cruel and devastating series of Russian strikes against civilians. "The EU will continue to increase the pressure on Russia and to support Ukraine until a just and lasting peace is achieved," he added. "We call on all our international partners to do the same."

Russia has targeted trains with drones since the early days of its 2022 invasion of Ukraine, destroying hundreds of locomotives and killing several railway workers. Ukraine’s air force said it intercepted three jet-powered drones during one daytime attack, but a fourth evaded its defences and struck the station. Following the Dnipro attack, Zelensky renewed his criticism of an agreement between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin to ease certain US sanctions on Russia, allowing Moscow to release diesel onto global markets.

"How many such terrorist strikes has Russia carried out against our people since sanctions were lifted on some Russian oligarchs and the energy sector, instead of de-escalating," he asked. "It is important that America does not remain silent about the killings, this is very important," Zelensky added in a separate statement. Local officials reported that at least six other people had been killed in separate Russian attacks elsewhere in Ukraine.

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Two teenagers killed in Chernigiv attack

An attack on the city centre of Chernigiv, north of Kyiv, killed two 15-year-old girls and injured nearly two dozen other people, including four children, according to Dmytro Bryzhynsky, head of the city’s military administration. In the central city of Kremenchuk, a drone struck a multi-storey residential building, killing three people and injuring several others, including a six-year-old child, the local governor said.

Fragile ceasefire and peace talks

Zelensky said on Wednesday that it would be a huge success if the local ceasefire in Oleshky, brokered by US First Lady Melania Trump, enabled the evacuation of stranded residents. Russia and Ukraine are expected to meet US envoys next month to discuss possible ways to end Europe’s deadliest conflict since World War II. However, no firm dates for the talks have been announced.

Previous rounds of negotiations have failed to bring the two sides closer to an agreement. Russia is demanding additional territory in eastern Ukraine, alongside sweeping military and political restrictions on Kyiv. Ukraine and its allies argue that surrendering territory to Moscow would amount to capitulation and leave the country vulnerable to future Russian attacks.