Zelensky fumes after Russia launches ‘savage’ strike on Ukraine railway station
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Saturday blasted Russia for a “savage” drone strike on a railway station overnight that injured dozens of people.
Zelensky said the strike took place in the Sumy region, just northeast of Kyiv, and emergency personnel were already on the scene. At least 30 injuries have been identified, he added.
“Preliminary reports indicate that both Ukrzaliznytsia staff and passengers were at the site of the strike,” Zelensky wrote in a post on social platform X. “The Russians could not have been unaware that they were striking civilians. And this is terror the world must not ignore.”
The attack first hit a commuter train and then an “electric locomotive,” according to Ukraine’s deputy prime minister Oleksiy Kuleba.
“Some passengers and railway workers are injured,” Kuleba wrote online. “The enemy once again is deliberately striking at people and infrastructure.”
Zelensky and Kuleba shared photos and videos of a train damaged in the strike, with flames and smoke visible.
“Every day, Russia takes people’s lives,” Zelensky continued. “And only strength can make them stop. We’ve heard resolute statements from Europe and America — and its high time to turn them all into reality, together with everyone who refuses to accept murder and terror as normal. Lip service is not enough now. Strong action is needed.”
The latest attack comes just a week after a 12-hour bombardment on Kyiv by the Russian military killed four people and left dozens other injured. The strike included around 500 attack drones and over 40 missiles, officials said.
Zelensky’s call for more action follows President Trump’s suggestion last month that Ukraine could win the war and reclaim some of its “original borders.” The comments marked a reversal of his previous statements and showed Trump’s growing frustration with Russian President Vladimir Putin over the three-and-a-half-year war.
“After getting to know and fully understand the Ukraine/Russia Military and Economic situation and, after seeing the Economic trouble it is causing Russia, I think Ukraine, with the support of the European Union, is in a position to fight and WIN all of Ukraine back in its original form,” Trump posted on Truth Social on Sept. 23.
The Ukrainian leader welcomed the sentiment, though acknowledged that he was surprised by it. Putin and Russian officials dismissed the comments after Trump suggested Moscow is a “paper tiger.”
Vice President Vance later echoed the president during an appearance last week on Fox News, saying the administration wants a peace but “the Russians have got to wake up and accept reality here.”
So far, ceasefire talks have stalled, even after Trump met with Putin in Alaska in August. Threats of sanctions have also largely been ignored by the Kremlin.