Zelensky condemns deadly Russian drone strike on passenger train

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has strongly condemned a Russian drone attack that struck a passenger train in Ukraine’s northeastern Kharkiv region, calling the assault an act of terrorism and demanding greater global pressure on Moscow. 

The strike occurred on January 27, 2026, when Russian forces targeted a civilian passenger train carrying more than 200 people en route from Chop near Ukraine’s western border toward Barvinkove. Ukrainian prosecutors said four people were killed and rescuers were searching for four others reported missing, while at least two more suffered injuries from the strike. 

In a statement on the Telegram messaging app, President Zelensky described the assault as unjustifiable and terroristic, stressing that there was no military objective in attacking a civilian train. “In any country, a drone strike on a civilian train would be regarded in exactly the same way — purely as terrorism,” he wrote. 

Zelensky extended his condolences to the families of the victims and reiterated Ukraine’s call for the international community to hold Russia accountable for continued attacks on civilians and essential infrastructure. 

He also emphasised that maintaining and protecting civilian life should be a unified global mission and urged supporters of Ukraine to intensify pressure on Russia to prevent further such tragedies. 

The attack on the train comes amid a broader pattern of Russian drone and missile assaults on Ukrainian transport and energy infrastructure, which have continued despite international diplomatic efforts to find a peaceful resolution.