Dozens injured after Russian drone strike on Ukrainian railway station

At least 30 people have been injured in a Russian drone strike on a Ukrainian railway station, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said.

Two trains were hit when Shostka station was targeted on Saturday, the head of Ukraine's railways, Oleksandr Pertsovskyi, said in a Facebook post. Three children were among the passengers injured, he said, adding an employee had also been hurt.

Ukraine's president wrote on X: "A savage Russian drone strike on the railway station in Shostka, Sumy region. "All emergency services are already on the scene and have begun helping people.

All information about the injured is being established. "So far, we know of at least 30 victims.

Preliminary reports indicate that both Ukrzaliznytsia staff and passengers were at the site of the strike." Regional governor Oleh Hryhorov said a train heading to Kyiv had been hit and that medics and rescuers were working on the scene. Mr Zelenskyy and the governor posted pictures from the scene that show a passenger carriage on fire.

The head of the local district administration, Oksana Tarasiuk, told Ukraine's public broadcaster that about 30 peoplewere injured by the strike. No fatalities were reported in the immediate aftermath.

Mr Pertsovskyi said the strikes were a "despicable attack aimed at stopping communication with our frontline communities". Moscow has stepped up its air strike campaign on Ukraine's railway infrastructure, hitting it almost every day over the last two months.

They have also targeted energy infrastructure with a massive bombardment on Ukraine's gas production facilities earlier this week. Mr Zelenskyy's top aide, Andriy Yermak, accused Russia of deliberately targeting the station and train, saying it was carrying out a "war against civilians".

It comes a day after what officials described as the biggest attack on Ukraine's natural gas facilities since Russia's land, air and sea invasion started in February 2022..