Russia's strike on Sumy railway station kills one, injures many, including children

“The enemy deliberately targeted civilian infrastructure – a passenger train traveling from Shostka to Kyiv. Passengers were injured,” Oleh Hryhorov, head of the Sumy Regional Military Administration, said in a statement.

Emergency services, medics, and rescue workers were deployed to the scene, and an operational headquarters has been set up to assist victims, he added.

Russian troops strike Shostka railway station twice

The Russian army struck the railway station twice, Deputy Prime Minister for the Restoration of Ukraine and Minister of Community and Territorial Development Oleksiy Kuleba reported.

The first strike hit the locomotive of the Tereshchynska–Novohrad-Siverskyi commuter train. When evacuation of passengers began, Russian soldiers carried out a second strike targeting the electric locomotive of the Kyiv–Shostka train.

“There are injuries among passengers and Ukrzaliznytsia employees. Medical teams have already taken the victims to hospitals and are providing necessary assistance. Other people are in shelters under the supervision of rescuers and will be evacuated once the alert ends,” Kuleba said.

Ukraine’s Prosecutor General’s Office, the attack occurred at around 11:50 a.m. The Office has launched an investigation into Russia’s drone strike on passenger trains in Shostka, Sumy region.

According to prosecutors, the attack occurred at around 11:50 a.m. “Under the procedural guidance of the Shostka District Prosecutor's Office, a pre-trial investigation is being conducted into the commission of war crimes (Part 1 of Article 438 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine),” the statement said.

Casualties and victims

Ukrzaliznytsia confirmed that a company employee, a cashier on a suburban train, got injured in the attack. Among the injured are also three children aged 8, 11 and 14. The oldest, a boy, is in moderate condition.

The Prosecutor General’s Office reported that as of 1:00 p.m., at least eight people had been hospitalized. One victim remains in intensive care in serious condition.

Later, the State Emergency Service clarified that one person died as a result of the Shahed UAV strike on the railway station.

Zelenskyy's response

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy condemned the strike, saying dozens of people were already known to be among the casualties, including Ukrzaliznytsia employees and passengers.

“The Russians could not have been unaware that they were striking civilians. And this is terror the world must not ignore,” Zelenskyy said. “Lip service is not enough now. Strong action is needed.”

• The attack came less than 24 hours after Russian drone strikes damaged power infrastructure in Chernihiv and Dnipro.