Russian Drone Strike on Dnipro Railway Platform Kills at Least 14, Officials Say

A Russian jet-powered drone struck a crowded platform at the main railway station in Dnipro, in central Ukraine, on Thursday, and at least 14 people were killed, according to local officials. Dnipropetrovsk regional head Oleksandr Hanzha said at least 14 others were wounded, among them an 11-year-old boy.

Ukraine's state railway operator, Ukrzaliznytsia, said a passenger train bound for the southern city of Zaporizhzhia was standing at one of the platforms when the drone hit. Dnipro Mayor Borys Filatov called the incident a tragedy and said the drone struck an electric civilian train. President Volodymyr Zelensky said the drone hit a platform where a regular commuter train and a regular passenger train were standing.

Pictures released by Ukrainian rescue services show a large hole in the platform, with blurred-out bodies strewn around it, beside a train whose windows were smashed by the blast.

The railway operator's chief, Oleksandr Pertsovsky, said an elevated threat level had been announced in Dnipro before the strike. "But unfortunately there were still a large number of people on the platform," he said. Russia's military has not publicly commented on the attack.

The strike was one of several on Thursday. In Chernihiv, in the north, a Russian missile attack on the city centre killed two 15-year-old girls and injured at least 25 others, four of them children, according to regional head Vyacheslav Chaus. In Kremenchuk, in the central Poltava region, a drone attack hit residential buildings and a school, killing three people and injuring 28, said regional head Vitaliy Diakivnych. A day of mourning has been declared for Chernihiv and Dnipro on Friday.

The attacks came while a fragile ceasefire was being upheld in Oleshky, a city under Russian occupation since 2022 where residents have reportedly gone without food, water, medicine and electricity for years. Ukraine's human rights ombudsman, Dmytro Lubinets, wrote on Telegram that the truce was holding into a third day.

Russia's defence ministry has always denied targeting Ukrainian civilians and says its strikes on railways hit infrastructure used to move military personnel and equipment. The figures nonetheless show the pressure on the network. Of the 521 locomotives hit since the full-scale invasion began in February 2022, almost 60% have been hit this year, according to Ukrzaliznytsia statistics supplied to AFP. Attacks on railway facilities have risen from 1,206 in 2025 to 1,700 so far this year. In recent weeks two bridges in Kyiv have also been attacked, and a metro train was hit during one of the strikes.

Meanwhile, the Kremlin has condemned Ukrainian drone attacks on Moscow while the city hosts the two-day Russia-Africa Summit, attended by African leaders and government delegations from 48 countries, Tass reported. Moscow's mayor said 613 Ukrainian drones were launched toward the region overnight, most of them shot down in flight.

Zelensky called for further sanctions on Russia from the US, Europe and the G7. He also repeated his criticism of a deal struck earlier this month between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin, which eased some sanctions on Moscow and allows the US to import Russian diesel. Next come Friday's day of mourning in Dnipro and Chernihiv, and whether the Oleshky truce survives.