Representative photo (AP)
A railway hub near Kyiv was hit in a large-scale Russian drone and missile strike, damaging a depot and several rail carriages, Ukrainian state railway operator Ukrzaliznytsia said on Saturday. The overnight attack targeted the town of Fastiv, with no casualties reported.”Russia continues to disregard any peace efforts and instead strikes critical civilian infrastructure, including our energy system and railways,” Ukrainian foreign minister Andrii Sybiha said through a post on X. “This shows that no decisions to strengthen Ukraine and raise pressure on Russia can be delayed. And especially not under the pretext of peace process.”Ukrzaliznytsia (Ukrainian railways) said on Telegram that several suburban trains near Kyiv and in the northeastern city of Chernihiv had to be cancelled following the strikes.Emergency services reported a fire and damage at the railway station and depot, though no further details were provided. Authorities also noted that infrastructure in the Chernihiv region was targeted in the attack.The Ukrainian military said Russia launched 653 drones and 51 missiles overnight, adding that its air defences intercepted 585 drones and 30 missiles, as cited by Reuters. Ukraine’s ministry for the development of Communities and Territories said power and heating facilities in the Chernihiv, Zaporizhzhia, Lviv and Dnipropetrovsk regions were struck in the barrage.In the southern Odesa region, around 9,500 consumers were left without heating and 34,000 without a water supply, the ministry said on Telegram.”Port facilities (in Odesa) have also been attacked: part of the infrastructure has been de-energised, and operators have switched to backup power from generators,” the ministry said, as cited by Reuters.Russia has stepped up strikes on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure and transport network in recent weeks, repeatedly hitting power facilities and key railway hubs.Earlier this year, a Russian strike on a passenger train in Ukraine’s northern Sumy region left at least 30 people injured, with casualties reported among passengers. The attack occurred roughly 50 kilometres (30 miles) from the Russian border.
