Russian drone strike kills five on Ukrainian passenger train in Kharkiv region

A Russian drone attack on a Ukrainian passenger train in the Kharkiv region on Tuesday killed five people, the report said. The train was carrying more than 200 passengers when it was struck by three drones. One passenger, 27-year-old Oleksandr Pysmenny, said he had stepped into a corridor for a cigarette when he heard a diving drone and an explosion that hit his carriage.

He described blocked doors, climbing outside, running around a burning car and then re-entering the train to help, carrying a bloodied woman away from the burning carriage, his wife, Maria Shtern, said on social media. Of the three drones, one struck a carriage with 18 people on board and the other two landed nearby, the report said.

After the strike the burning carriages were disconnected and the remaining 10 cars continued; the train, with 147 passengers still on board, arrived at the next station after a five-hour delay and passengers were given food by World Central Kitchen. President Volodymyr Zelensky said in an evening address that "Russia must be held accountable for what it does," the report quoted.

The article noted that trains have been a critical part of Ukraine’s logistics during the war—used to evacuate civilians, to connect Ukrainians to Europe with airports closed, and to deliver goods as strikes have closed maritime routes in the Black Sea.

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