‘Savage’ Russian double-tap strike on railway station in Sumy Oblast kills 1, injures at least 30
Editor's note: This is a breaking story and will be updated regularly.
A Russian double-tap drone strike on a railway station in Sumy Oblast on Oct. 4 killed one person and injured at least 30 others including 3 children, authorities have said.
Drones struck the station in the city of Shostka, Sumy Oblast, damaging two trains. Video from the scene shows the flaming wreck of several carriages of one of them.
Passengers and Ukrzaliznytsia workers were on the site at the moment of the attack, according to President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Sumy Prosecutor's Office reported on Oct. 4 that the body of a 71-year-old man was found in a train carriage after the attack, and the classification of the criminal proceedings was changed to Part 2 of Art. 438 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (committing war crimes resulting in the death of a person).
Two people are in intensive care, Suspilne Sumy reported on Oct. 4. Among the injured are a 44-year-old woman and her three sons, aged 14, 11, and 7.
According to Ukrzaliznytsia, it was a double-tap strike. "The second strike on the electric locomotive occurred while the evacuation was already underway," the statement reads.
"It was a cowardly attack aimed at stopping the connection with our frontline areas."
Another video posted to social media appears to show the moment the second drone struck close to the first site of impact.
Emergency services are on the scene, rescuers are assisting the injured, and the number of victims and the extent of the damage are being determined.
Oleh Hryhorov, head of the Sumy regional military administration, said the Russian military "deliberately" hit a passenger train travelling from Shostka to Kyiv.
"The Russians could not have been unaware that they were striking civilians. And this is terror the world must not ignore," Zelensky 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… pic.twitter.com/ZZoWfPmpL5
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) October 4, 2025
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen condemned the attack on Oct. 4.
"The shocking scenes emerging from Shostka railway station highlight Russia’s reckless and continued willingness to target civilians," von der Leyen wrote on X.
"The EU and its global partners must continue ramping up the pressure on Russia until it finally accepts a just and lasting peace."
Previously, Russia struck railway infrastructure in Odesa Oblast on Oct. 2. One person was injured, Deputy Prime Minister for Restoration Oleksii Kuleba said.
The strikes demonstrate Russia's ongoing strategy of targeting civilian infrastructure to pressure Ukraine, as Moscow continues to dismiss calls for an unconditional ceasefire.
Russia carries out daily attacks on Sumy Oblast, which borders its territory.
Russia aimed to open up a new front line in Sumy Oblast in spring, seizing several villages in May and June and coming within 20 kilometers (12 miles) of the regional capital.
Zelensky announced on Sept. 12 that Ukrainian forces have "completely thwarted" Russia's Sumy offensive.
Lucy Pakhnyuk
