Ukraine says at least 13 killed in Russian attack on train station

This video grab taken from a handout footage released by the Russian Defence Ministry on October 29, 2026, shows what is presented by the military institution as Russian sappers conducting demining operation in the vicinity of the city of Oleshky in the Kherson region, Russian-controlled Ukraine. [AFP]

At least 13 people were killed when a Russian drone slammed into a platform at the Dnipro railway station in central Ukraine, where a train was parked, Ukrainian authorities said Thursday.

"Thirteen people were killed in a Russian attack on Dnipro. At least five more were wounded," Dnipropetrovsk regional governor Oleksandr Ganzha said on Telegram.

Dnipro mayor Borys Filatov also lamented "a tragedy" in the city, saying on social media that "a drone hit a civilian electric train".

"Many people have been killed. Lots are wounded," he said.

The state Ukrainian Railways operator said a jet-powered Russian drone had hit the Dnipro train station.

"The strike hit one of the platforms, where train No. 866 Dnipro–Zaporizhzhia was at the time," it said on Telegram.

An elevated threat level had been announced, according to the rail company's chief, Oleksandr Pertsovsky.

"But unfortunately there were still a large number of people on the platform," he said on Facebook.

Russia has fired drones on trains across Ukraine since the first days of its 2022 invasion -- destroying hundreds of locomotives and killing several railway workers.

In September alone, passengers were evacuated from more than 5,800 Ukrainian train services due to the threat of Russian drone strikes, the national railway operator told AFP.

The country's vast train network is a vital form of transport in the country, where journeys between east and west can take 24 hours.