Zelenskyy condemns Russian drone strike on civilian train

A Russian drone strike on a passenger train in northeastern Ukraine killed five people, prosecutors said on Tuesday, an attack denounced as terrorism by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

"In any country, a drone strike on a civilian train would be considered in exactly the same way, purely as terrorism," Zelenskyy wrote on the Telegram messaging app.

"Our cause and this is what should unite all normal people in the world – is to ensure the progress of protecting life. This is possible through pressure on Russia."

The comments came after a Russian drone strike set a civilian train ablaze in northeastern Ukraine. Prosecutors in the Kharkiv Region said fragments of five bodies were found at the scene near a village.

Odesa drone barrage

The train attack followed an overnight barrage of Russian drones on the southern city of Odesa, which killed three people and wounded 25. 

Russia has not commented. 

Odesa Governor Oleh Kiper said two children and a pregnant woman were among those wounded. Dozens of residential buildings, as well as a church, a kindergarten and a high school, were damaged in the attack.

Zelenskyy had earlier decried a "brutal" attack by more than 50 drones on Odesa as Ukrainian and Russian negotiators prepare for new talks on Sunday.

"Every such Russian strike erodes the diplomacy that is still ongoing and undermines the efforts of partners who are helping to end this war," Zelenskyy wrote on X.

Power outages and damage to infrastructure

Meanwhile in Kyiv, Energy Minister Denys Shmyhal said 710,000 residents remained without electricity following a Russian attack on the capital last week.

By midday on Tuesday, rescue workers were still digging through a mountain of rubble outside a building where emergency officials said two residents had been killed. It was ripped open across several floors.

Resident Denys Tsybulskiy stood outside the building trying to reach his neighbour, who he said was trapped under the debris but had showed signs of using his phone.

"He can't pick up the phone, he can't talk, but there's hope that he's laying there," he said.

The overnight attack also led to the "colossal destruction" of an energy facility in the city, leading private power provider DTEK said in a statement.

In Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city, Mayor Ihor Terekhov said 40% of households had no electricity a day after a combined drone and missile attack.

Ukraine's air force said Russian troops had launched 165 drones overnight - 135 of them neutralised by air defences.

Russian and Ukrainian officials are expected to hold another round of U.S. brokered talks on Sunday after meeting last weekend in Abu Dhabi.

• Russian attacks hit Ukraine as talks in Abu Dhabi wrap up

• Russian attack cuts power in Kharkiv, wounds 23 in Odesa
• Zelenskyy declares energy emergency, as Trump blames him for stalled Ukraine peace deal

Writing on X, Zelenskyy urged Kyiv's allies to boost pressure on Moscow, which has demanded Ukraine cede land that Russian forces have been unable to capture before it stops fighting.

"We expect the United States, Europe, and other partners not to remain silent about this and to remember that achieving real peace requires pressure precisely on Moscow." 

Ukraine is asking partners, particularly the U.S., for strong security guarantees in the event of a peace deal that would prevent Russia from attacking again.

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Ukraine Odesa kharkiv Kyiv peace talks Eastern Europe