Topline
A deadly Russian rocket strike on a train station in a small town in central Ukraine killed at least 25 people and injured about 31 more on Wednesday, according to a Ukrainian official, after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned earlier that Moscow could be planning for “something particularly ugly, something particularly vicious” as Ukraine marks its Independence Day.
War weary: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky looks on at a press conference on March 3, 2022, … [+] in Kyiv, Ukraine.
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Key Facts
Of the 25 people who died, 2 were children, including a 6-year-old boy who died in a car fire near the railway station, while another was an 11-year-old who died under the rubble of a house, Kyrylo Tymoshenko, a deputy head of the Ukrainian president’s office, said in a post on Telegram.
During a video call to the United Nations Security Council on Wednesday, Zelensky said the attack took place in Chaplin, a small town in the central Dnipropetrovsk region that is home to only 3,500 people, according to Reuters.
Four passenger train cars were on fire, he added, and while first responders were on the scene, he warned that the casualty toll could increase.
Russia has repeatedly denied targeting Ukrainian civilians in its attacks.
Chief Critic
The European Union “strongly” condemned the attack and warned those responsible for “Russian rocket terror” will be held accountable,” EU Foreign Policy Chief Josep Borrell Fontelles wrote in a tweet.
Key Background
The Ukrainian government had anticipated an uptick in attacks on Wednesday, Ukraine’s Independence Day, the 31st anniversary of the country’s freedom from the Soviet Union, which also happens to mark the six months since Russia invaded Ukraine. The U.S. urged Americans to leave the country by ground transport if they were able, with the State Department warning Tuesday that Russia planned to attack civilian infrastructure and government facilities in Ukraine “in the coming days.” Kyiv has banned mass public Independence Day celebrations out of safety concerns, and some cities across the country have implemented overnight curfews.
Further Reading
In Photos: Ukraine Celebrates Independence Day As Russian Invasion Hits Six-Month Mark (Forbes)
Russia ‘Stepping Up’ Civilian Strikes As Ukraine’s Independence Day Approaches, U.S. Warns (Forbes)
