At least 20 people have been killed in a fresh wave of Russian attacks across Ukraine, including a devastating drone strike on a crowded railway station in the city of Dnipro. The attack, which hit a passenger train platform on October 29, killed at least 15 people and injured several others, according to updated information released by Ukrainian officials on October 30.
The Dnipro strike took place when passengers were waiting at the railway station and a commuter train was preparing to depart for Zaporizhzhia. A Russian jet-powered drone struck the platform, hitting an area where people had gathered to board the train. The attack left the station damaged and emergency services rushed to the scene to rescue survivors and assist the injured.
The death toll initially stood at 13 before rising to 14. On Friday, regional governor Oleksandr Hanzha confirmed that another victim, a 40-year-old man, had died in hospital, taking the number of fatalities to 15. Ukrainian officials said at least 14 people were injured in the strike. Eleven remained in hospitals in Dnipro, with six in serious condition, including an 11-year-old boy.
Medical teams continued treating those injured, several of whom suffered severe shrapnel wounds. Some victims required surgery, while emergency workers and police personnel worked to clear the affected railway platform and document the damage.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy condemned the attack, describing it as horrific and calling for a stronger response from Kyiv’s international partners. He argued that the latest strikes demonstrated why sanctions against Moscow should not be eased while Russia’s military campaign continued.
Prime Minister Sergiy Koretskyi also accused Russia of deliberately targeting civilians at railway stations, trains and residential buildings. Ukrainian officials said the attack was part of a broader pattern of strikes on civilian and transport infrastructure.
The violence was not limited to Dnipro. Russian attacks also killed people in Chernihiv and Kremenchuk, while a missile strike hit Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv, late on Thursday. Two teenage girls were among those killed in Chernihiv, while three people died in strikes on residential buildings in Kremenchuk. One person was killed in the late-night attack on Kyiv, according to local authorities.
The attacks also affected Zaporizhzhia, where Russian drones struck buses and injured six people. A student dormitory in Dnipro was also hit, adding to concerns about the impact of the attacks on civilian facilities.
The strikes caused significant disruption to electricity supplies in and around Dnipro. Ukrainian officials said damage to energy infrastructure left around 350,000 households without power. Water and sewage pumping stations were shifted to backup generators to maintain essential services.
The power disruption affected public transport and daily activities across the city. Emergency electricity cuts were introduced in parts of the region, while authorities worked to restore supplies. The damage highlighted the continuing vulnerability of Ukraine’s energy and transport networks to Russian aerial attacks.
The latest violence came even as a limited ceasefire was being observed in parts of the southern Kherson region. The six-day local truce, brokered with US assistance, was intended to allow humanitarian aid to reach Oleshky, a town under Russian control, and help residents leave the area.
The arrangement offered a rare opportunity for cooperation between the two sides amid the wider conflict. Humanitarian teams were preparing to deliver food, medical supplies and other essential items to residents facing shortages. However, the fighting continued elsewhere, underlining the limited nature of the agreement.
The attacks have also raised questions about the prospects for renewed diplomatic efforts. Russia and Ukraine remain far apart on the terms of a broader settlement, although US-backed discussions are expected to resume next month. Zelenskyy has urged Western governments to maintain pressure on Moscow and provide continued military support, particularly air defence systems.
Russia has repeatedly denied deliberately targeting civilians in Ukraine. However, strikes on railway stations, residential areas and energy infrastructure have continued to cause casualties and disrupt everyday life since the full-scale invasion began in February 2022.
The latest attacks have once again exposed the risks faced by civilians travelling by train, living near critical infrastructure or depending on public utilities. For families in Dnipro, the railway station strike has turned an ordinary journey into a tragedy. As rescue and recovery operations continue, Ukrainian authorities are also preparing for the possibility of further missile and drone attacks.
