In a chilling reminder of the ongoing threat faced by civilians in Ukraine, a Russian missile strike on 24 June 2025 targeted a passenger train near Dnipro, leaving several injured — including children. The missile exploded dangerously close to the Odessa–Dnipro service, also damaging carriages from the Odessa–Zaporizhzhia route. Passengers were on board at the time of the strike, with panic and injuries quickly spreading through the train.
Emergency services rushed to the scene, documenting the impact and providing urgent medical care.
Another Deliberate Attack on Civilian Life
This is not an isolated incident. Ukrainian authorities and international observers stress that Russia’s missile campaignsare not just military actions — they are part of a deliberate strategy of terror.
Strikes on civilian infrastructure, including trains, hospitals, residential buildings, and schools, have become disturbingly routine. Far from being an unfortunate error or “misfire,” this attack on a passenger train is seen by many as a war crime and a hallmark of Putin’s reign of missile terrorism.
As one eyewitness described, “People were screaming. Children were bleeding. The train cars were shattered. This was no accident — it was meant to terrify us.”
Targeting Everyday Life
The train targeted in Dnipro wasn’t a military convoy. It was a symbol of normality — families travelling, children returning from holidays, people simply trying to get home. Russia’s objective appears clear: to make ordinary life in Ukraine unlivable.
Ukrainian officials are calling on international allies to respond with action, not just words. “The Kremlin is not fighting a traditional war; it’s waging a campaign of terror against civilians,” said one government source. “Passenger trains are now targets — what’s next?”
A Wake-Up Call for the West
The attack on the Odessa–Zaporizhzhia train is yet another test of the global community’s resolve. Ukrainian leaders are urging G7 nations and NATO to react with more than condemnation.
They demand:
- The recognition of Russia as a state sponsor of terrorism
- Full enforcement of sanctions and closure of all loopholes
- Acceleration of air defence aid and protection for critical infrastructure
Continuing silence, many argue, is tantamount to complicity.
A War Against the Defenceless
This latest incident adds to the growing list of atrocities. Russia is no longer simply striking energy facilities or logistical routes; it’s hitting passenger trains, schools, and hospitals. Each new attack further exposes the regime’s intention to break Ukrainian morale by targeting its most vulnerable.
And as this latest missile strike shows, children are not spared.
If the global community fails to impose meaningful consequences, the Kremlin will see it as permission to escalate.
The cost of inaction is being paid in blood — on hospital floors, in destroyed classrooms, and now, in shattered train carriages.
