Russian Drone Strike Hits Civilian Train in Kharkiv Region, Injures Two

A Russian drone strike hit a civilian passenger train in the Kharkiv region on Tuesday, injuring two people, according to Deputy Prime Minister for Restoration Oleksii Kuleba.

Rail carriages were set on fire on the train operating on the Barvinkove–Lviv–Chop route after three Shahed-type drones struck it while it was in motion, hitting the front of the locomotive as well as a passenger car.

291 passengers on board the train were all evacuated, with the two wounded transferred to the hospital.

Replacement buses were deployed to carry affected passengers, while support was also offered to travelers who were waiting at stations for their return journey.

“The attack on the passenger train is a direct act of Russian terror against civilians. There was no military target,” Kuleba said.

Oleh Syniehubov, the head of the Kharkiv regional administration, said that the strike had happened in the Barvinkove community and clarified that emergency services were working at the site.

Russia has consistently targeted railway infrastructure in Ukraine since the beginning of the full-scale invasion in 2022.

In October, Russian missiles repeatedly hit railway infrastructure in Ukraine’s northern regions of Sumy and Chernihiv in order to cut off communications with frontline territories.

Kuleba previously said that the strikes on rail hubs are “aimed at complicating the transport of passengers and cargo, disrupting stable operations, and creating additional pressure on people and the economy.”