It is the scenario Ukraine’s railway system has spent months trying to prevent.
A high-speed Russian jet-powered drone struck a crowded train platform in Dnipro on Thursday, killing at least 13 people, according to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who called the attack horrific in a post on X.
Train No. 866, bound for Zaporizhzhia about 40 miles to the south, was at the platform when the drone hit. Passengers were still boarding.
Ukraine’s state rail operator said air raid sirens warning of a heightened threat had sounded before the strike. The drone arrived so quickly that station officials could not act in time to clear the open platform.
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Dnipro is a city of roughly a million people and the main rail hub for Ukraine’s southeast, a gateway for civilians, soldiers and aid moving toward the front. Trains have become one of the few lifelines Ukrainians trust, which makes them a target.
In his post, Zelenskyy also asked how many strikes Russia has carried out since sanctions were lifted on certain Russian oligarchs and on Russia’s energy sector.
A few months ago, a Scripps News crew traveled from Kyiv to the same Dnipro station. On the return trip, just outside the city, the train stopped and passengers were evacuated to a nearby shelter.
That now happens daily on Ukraine’s railways. On Thursday, the warning came, and there was no time to heed it.
