Russian drone strike hits passenger train in Odesa region, killing driver

A Russian jet-powered Shahed drone struck a passenger train in Ukraine's Odesa region on Thursday morning, killing the driver and his assistant. The train was travelling on the Odesa-Dnipro route when it was hit in the Berezivka district. Officials said all 340 passengers were evacuated safely after the attack.

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Ukrzaliznytsia chairman Oleksandr Pertsovskyi said a monitoring team had detected the drone and ordered the train to stop near a station. He said the drone then made a sudden manoeuvre, leaving the crew too little time to evacuate after the train halted. The locomotive was severely damaged and firefighters were seen extinguishing flames at the scene.

Passengers were moved out on 21 buses and taken to Odesa, according to the information provided by officials. Images from the area showed shattered windows in a nearby carriage and luggage being carried during the evacuation. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the operator could not have been unaware that the train was carrying civilians and renewed calls for stronger air defences.

The strike came during a wider overnight Russian drone attack on Ukraine. The air force said 133 drones were launched and 111 were intercepted. Officials also said strikes elsewhere in the country wounded six people, underlining the broader pressure on civilian infrastructure during the war.

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Passenger rail has remained a key part of Ukraine's wartime transport network, carrying civilians despite repeated attacks on infrastructure. The Odesa region has strategic importance because it links southern transport routes and access to the Black Sea area. A strike on a civilian train adds to concerns about the vulnerability of transport corridors used by people moving within the country.

What remains unclear is whether the drone strike on the locomotive was part of a broader pattern of attacks on rail infrastructure or a separate targeting decision. Officials have not said whether the train had resumed service after the evacuation or what repairs will be needed. The incident is likely to keep attention on air defence coverage for civilian transport and on the risks faced by rail crews operating during the war.

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