At least 14 people have been killed after a Russian jet-powered drone hit a crowded platform at the main railway station in the central Ukrainian city of Dnipro, local officials said. At least 14 others were wounded, including an 11-year-old boy.

Dnipropetrovsk regional head Oleksandr Hanzha confirmed the casualty figures. Ukraine’s state railway operator, Ukrzaliznytsia, said a passenger train headed for the southern city of Zaporizhzhia was at one of the platforms when the drone struck.

A platform full of people

Railway operator chief Oleksandr Pertsovsky said an elevated threat level had been announced ahead of Thursday’s strike. Even so, the platform was packed. "But unfortunately there were still a large number of people on the platform" when the drone hit, he said.

Dnipro Mayor Borys Filatov called the incident a tragedy. He said a drone hit an electric civilian train. Pictures released by Ukrainian rescue services show a large hole in the platform, with bodies covered by blurred-out images, beside a blast-damaged train with smashed windows.

Zelensky calls for more sanctions

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the attack targeted a busy transit point. His words were direct.

the Russians used a drone to attack a platform where a regular commuter train and a regular passenger train were standing.

He called for further sanctions on Russia from the United States, Europe and the G7. He also repeated his criticism of a controversial deal struck earlier this month between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin. That agreement eased some sanctions on Moscow and allowed the US to import Russian diesel.

Deadly strikes across the country

The violence was not confined to Dnipro. In Chernihiv, in the north of the country, two girls aged 15 were killed in a Russian missile attack on the city centre, according to regional head Vyacheslav Chaus. At least 25 others were injured, including four children.

A day of mourning has been declared for Chernihiv and Dnipro on Friday.

In the city of Kremenchuk, in the central Poltava region, three people were killed and 28 were injured in a Russian drone attack. The drone hit residential buildings and a school, regional head Vitaliy Diakivnych said.

A fragile truce under strain

The latest Russian strikes came while efforts were underway to uphold a fragile ceasefire in Oleshky. The besieged city has been under Russian occupation since 2022. Residents there have been trapped 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.

Drones over Moscow

Across the border, the Kremlin condemned Ukrainian drone attacks on Moscow while the city hosts the Russia-Africa Summit, according to the Tass news agency. The two-day event is attended by African leaders and government delegations from 48 countries.

The mayor of Moscow said 613 Ukrainian drones were launched overnight towards the region. Most of them were shot down during their flight.

Russia’s defence ministry has denied targeting Ukrainian civilians. It says its attacks on railways aim at the infrastructure used to move military personnel and equipment. Passengers, however, are facing very real danger.

Railways in the crosshairs

Statistics released by Ukrzaliznytsia and supplied to AFP show the scale of the threat. Of the 521 locomotives hit since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022, almost 60% have been hit this year.

Overall attacks on railway facilities rose from 1,206 in 2025 to 1,700 so far this year.

The Dnipro station attack also follows a wider assault on Ukraine’s infrastructure in recent weeks. Two bridges were attacked in the capital Kyiv, and a metro train was hit during one of the strikes.

Russia’s military has not publicly commented on the Dnipro attack. It has repeatedly hit Ukraine’s large railway network, though Moscow denies deliberately targeting civilians. For the families of those killed on a commuter platform on a Thursday, that denial offers no comfort.