Bus Hit Following Ukrainian Train; Zelenskyy Condemns "Act of Brutality"

As Russia continues its attacks targeting Ukraine's transportation network, civilian casualties are rising.

The attacks appear intended to hinder the movement of Ukrainian military supplies while pressuring the economy and civilian logistics, thereby weakening the nation's capacity to sustain the war.

According to Ukrainian police, Reuters reported that a drone attack targeting a passenger bus near Nikopol, a city close to the southern front line, killed five people in the early hours of the 16th, local time.

Dnipro-petrovsk Oblast Governor Serhiy Lysak stated that seven people were injured in the attack.

Acting Governor of the southern Mykolaiv region, George Reshetilov, stated that a passenger train in the area was also hit by a Russian drone attack.

Reshetilov stated via a Telegram message that all 168 passengers and crew members were evacuated, and fortunately, there were no injuries.

He added that the train was attacked two more times after the initial strike.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that in addition to the Mykolaiv train attack, a locomotive was also attacked in Kovel, near the Polish border.

On social media, President Zelenskyy urged the United States and Europe to tighten sanctions against Russia, stating, "There is no military logic to this whatsoever, just another act of brutality."

Russia also launched airstrikes on the 12th in a Ukrainian region located just 2 kilometers from the Polish border.

The aftermath left the locomotive of a passenger train bound for Warsaw, Poland, damaged.

It was later revealed that a train carrying former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and former Swedish Prime Minister Carl Bildt had passed through the area shortly before the attacked train, raising suspicions that this "diplomatic train" may have been the original target of the Russian drones.

They were on their way back after visiting the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv.

With airspace closed since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, overland transport networks have become essential lifelines for both the Ukrainian military and civilians.

In particular, Ukraine relies on its railway network to move military troops and supplies to the front lines.

Consequently, Russia has been targeting railway stations, depots, and locomotives in an effort to degrade Ukraine's war-fighting capabilities.

These actions are also seen as an intent to disrupt Ukrainians' economic activities and civilian movement, thereby putting pressure on the economic and social systems.

Ukrainian railway authorities told Reuters that as Russia intensified its attacks on Ukrainian railways this year, 120 passenger cars, 304 locomotives, and 34 railway stations have been hit.

They added that since the beginning of the year, Russia has launched a total of 1,700 attacks on railway infrastructure, an increase from 1,206 last year and 842 in 2024.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha wrote on X, "Russian forces are attacking passenger trains, locomotives, stations, and railway lines, knowing full well how essential they are for civilian movement and evacuation, as well as for the Ukrainian economy."

He condemned the acts, calling them "a systematic hunt for people and an attempt to paralyze civilian life."

(Photo: Capture from X of Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.