Ukraine war latest: 'Russia's mass murder' — Deadly Russian strikes on Dnipro, Chernihiv, Kremenchuk

Key developments on Oct. 28:

• 'Russia's mass murder:' Drone strike on Dnipro station kills 14 amid deadly daytime attacks on Chernihiv, Kremenchuk
• Ukraine destroys 2 Russian Su-34 bomber jets in Neptune missile strike on airfield, Navy says
• Route demining completed in Russian-occupied Oleshky as humanitarian convoy prepares to enter, Ukraine's ombudsman says
• Ukraine strikes Russian 'drone port' in Bryansk Oblast, damaging storage facilities, military says
• UN appoints Russian diplomat to oversee mine action, as Ukraine clears over 300,000 explosives in Kherson Oblast
• Russian general charged in absentia for missile strike on museum dedicated to 18th century Ukrainian philosopher

Russian forces struck a train platform at Dnipro railway station on the morning of Oct. 29, killing at least 14 people and wounding at least 14 more, authorities said.

A passenger train was preparing to depart the platform for Zaporizhzhia when the station was attacked by a Russian jet-powered drone, Ukrainian Railways wrote on social media.

The brazen daytime attack was followed in close succession by deadly strikes against civilians in Chernihiv and Kremenchuk.

The strikes on civilians come not only in the middle of a scheduled local ceasefire in Kherson Oblast, agreed to by Kyiv and Moscow to help evacuate and deliver aid to the residents of the occupied city of Oleshky, but also ahead of the first trilateral "peace negotiations" mediated by the United States since February this year.

According to Ukraine's Air Force, Dnipro was attacked around 11:00 a.m. by four Russian jet-powered drones, three of which were downed by Ukrainian air defense before reaching their targets.

Despite the air raid alert and announcements of a heightened threat, people remained on the platform, Ukrainian Railways said.

Passengers were told to evacuate from the stationary train around ten minutes before the strike, with station and train staff checking each train car one by one.

At 11:29 a.m., Dnipropetrovsk Oblast governor Oleksandr Hanzha reported that medics were already at the scene of the attack, providing first aid.

"A horrific Russian attack on Dnipro train station," President Volodymyr Zelensky wrote on social media in response to the attack. "The Russians used a drone to attack a platform where a regular commuter train and a regular passenger train were standing."

"How many such terrorist attacks has Russia carried out on our people after lifting sanctions on some Russian oligarchs and energy companies instead of de-escalating."

Latvian Foreign Minister Baiba Braze described the attack on Dnipro as "mass murder."

Following the Russian attack on Dnipro, 25,000 people in the city and surrounding Oblast were left without electricity, Hanzha said in the afternoon.

Later in the day, Dnipro Mayor Borys Filatov reported that a Russian drone struck the dormitory of a vocational school in Dnipro, setting the entire fifth floor on fire. There were no injuries, Filatov said, as the students had managed to reach the shelter before the strike.

Throughout the day, Russian attacks across Dnipropetrovsk Oblast injured four more people, including a 15-year-old girl, Hanzha said in an evening statement.

Elsewhere across Ukraine, the cities of Chernihiv and Kremenchuk were also targeted by daytime Russian attacks.

Around noon, Russian forces struck the center of Chernihiv in northern Ukraine with Banderol cruise missiles, killing two 15-year-old girls, regional governor Viacheslav Chaus said.

At least 25 more people were injured in the attack, including four children, the youngest one 10-months-old, Chaus later said.

Meanwhile, in the city of Kremenchuk in Poltava Oblast, at least three people were killed and 32 injured, including six children and two people still in critical condition, after Russian drones struck an apartment building in a residential area, according to local authorities. Oct. 30 has been declared a day of mourning in Poltava Oblast.

Ukraine destroys 2 Russian Su-34 bomber jets in Neptune missile strike on airfield, Navy says

Ukraine's Navy destroyed two Russian Su-34 fighter-bomber jets in a strike against the Marinovka military airfield in Russia's Volgograd Oblast, using domestically produced Neptune missiles, the Navy reported on Oct. 29.

The aircraft were destroyed at the base of Russia's 11th Mixed Aviation Regiment near the settlement of Oktyabrsky, according to the Navy. The regiment belongs to the 4th Mixed Aviation Division of Russia's 4th Air and Air Defense Forces Army. The Navy did not provide any visual confirmation of the strike. The Kyiv Independent could not independently verify the claim.

Later on Oct. 29, President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed the destruction of the two Su-34 jets, adding that Ukrainian forces had also hit a Russian Iskander missile launcher.

The Su-34 is one of Russia's main aircraft used to launch guided aerial bombs against Ukrainian cities, frontline settlements, and military positions. Strikes against these aircraft could weaken Russia's ability to carry out such attacks, while replacing the losses requires significant time and resources.

Russia had approximately 140 Su-34 fighter-bombers of various modifications in service as of Oct. 22, including the modernized Su-34M, Ukraine's military intelligence agency (HUR) reported on Oct. 29.

According to the agency, Russia has lost 43 Su-34 aircraft destroyed and another seven damaged since the start of its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

"Such losses are quite significant for the aggressor's aircraft fleet, whose restoration requires a lengthy production cycle, substantial financial resources, and specialized industrial cooperation," HUR said.

The agency estimated that Russia can manufacture approximately 14 to 18 Su-34 aircraft annually, meaning the number of destroyed aircraft is equivalent to roughly 2.5–3 years of production.

Route demining completed in Russian-occupied Oleshky as humanitarian convoy prepares to enter, Ukraine's ombudsman says

Demining of designated routes in Russian-occupied Oleshky in Kherson Oblast has been completed, and a humanitarian convoy is ready to depart, Ukraine's Human Rights Commissioner Dmytro Lubinets announced on Oct. 29.

The convoy is expected to arrive at the city's central hospital, where humanitarian assistance will be provided to residents, Lubinets said.

Residents wishing to leave the city will be able to do so until 2:00 p.m. local time, with security measures arranged for their evacuation. Humanitarian aid distribution is scheduled to begin after 2:30 p.m., according to the ombudsman.

Delegations from Ukraine, Russia, and the United States have gathered to coordinate the next steps of the mission, with journalists from all three countries also present, Lubinets said.

The mission is being carried out jointly with Russian Human Rights Commissioner Yana Lantratova, with mediation and coordination by U.S. first lady Melania Trump.

"Our shared goal is to deliver humanitarian aid to civilians and facilitate the safe departure of everyone who wishes to leave the city," Lubinets said.

The operation follows a temporary ceasefire in and around Oleshky, announced by the White House on Oct. 23 and subsequently confirmed by Ukraine and Russia. The pause in fighting, which began on Oct. 27, is expected to remain in effect until Nov. 1 to allow aid deliveries, mine clearance, and civilian evacuations.

Ukraine strikes Russian 'drone port' in Bryansk Oblast, damaging storage facilities, military says

Ukrainian forces have struck a Russian military facility used to launch long-range attack drones at Ukraine, the General Staff said on Oct. 29.

The overnight attack targeted the Russian drone base near Navlya in Bryansk Oblast, around 70 kilometers from the Ukrainian border.

According to the General Staff, the strikes damaged a storage facility for Russian long-range Geran-type drones, as well as fuel and lubricant storage facilities and the 'drone port' itself.

Ukrainian media and open-source intelligence (OSINT) groups have tracked Russia's building of several large 'airfields' designed for unmanned systems and built across Russia's western border areas.

The building of these new 'drone ports' reflects Moscow's growing investment in long-range attack drones as a long-term strategic tool, which can be used both against Ukraine or against countries on NATO's eastern flank.

The Oct. 29 attack was the second strike on the Navlya facility, with the first being on Aug. 3, also targeting launch and storage facilities.

UN appoints Russian diplomat to oversee mine action, as Ukraine clears over 300,000 explosives in Kherson Oblast

The United Nations has appointed a Russian diplomat to a senior position overseeing mine action, drawing criticism from Ukraine as the country continues to clear hundreds of thousands of explosive devices left behind by Russia's war.

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres announced the appointment of Gleb Desyatnikov as assistant secretary-general for mine action and police in the Department of Peace Operations on Oct. 27.

Desyatnikov has served as Russia's ambassador to Jordan since 2018, including throughout Moscow's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. According to the U.N., he has more than 35 years of experience in international relations and security affairs, including previous positions at Russia's Foreign Ministry.

"Moscow has mined the United Nations," Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Heorhii Tykhyi wrote on X on Oct. 29, criticizing the decision.

"Entrusting this responsibility to a representative of the aggressor state is deeply troubling and undermines trust in the United Nations," he added.

The appointment comes as Ukraine faces one of the world's largest demining challenges, with Russian mines and unexploded ordnance threatening civilians and complicating the recovery of agricultural land and infrastructure.

In southern Kherson Oblast, demining teams have neutralized 300,691 explosive devices on the Ukrainian-controlled right bank since the start of clearance operations, according to the regional military administration.

Between Oct. 22 and 28 alone, specialists surveyed 602.8 hectares (1,490 acres) and neutralized 471 explosive devices, the administration reported on Oct. 29. Authorities said 74.5% of the territory designated for clearance on the region's right bank has now been cleared.

Russian general charged in absentia for missile strike on museum dedicated to 18th century Ukrainian philosopher

A Russian lieutenant general has been charged in absentia with ordering the strike on the Kharkiv Oblast museum dedicated to 18th-century philosopher Hryhorii Skovoroda, the Prosecutor General reported on Oct. 29.

On May 6, 2022, a Russian missile struck the museum, located in the village of Skovorodynivka, some 55 kilometers (about 35 miles) from the regional capital. The strike did not completely destroy the museum, but left it in serious disrepair.

According to the Prosecutor General, the Russian lieutenant general who ordered the attack is originally from the village of Chuhuiv in Kharkiv Oblast and commands Russia's 6th Guards Air and Air Defense Forces Army.

"The (lieutenant) general knew for certain that he was attacking not a military target but a monument of Ukrainian culture. Despite this, he gave the combat order to destroy it," the Prosecutor General wrote.

Skovoroda is considered one of the most influential philosophers in Ukrainian intellectual history. His written works are vital contributions to the Ukrainian Baroque and Enlightenment traditions. The building that housed the museum was once the estate where Skovoroda spent his final years and died in 1794.

Russia has repeatedly targeted Ukraine's cultural heritage since the start of the full-scale war. As of September 2026, 2,161 cultural heritage sites and 2,665 cultural institutions in Ukraine had been damaged or destroyed, according to data collected by the Culture Ministry.