A jet-powered Russian drone struck two passenger trains halted at a station in the central Ukrainian city of Dnipro, killing at least 14 people and injuring 14 others, local officials confirmed. The Thursday attack coincided with a planned six-day ceasefire in the southern city of Oleshky, a truce credited by both sides to U.S. first lady Melania Trump.
The broader wave of violence across Ukraine on Thursday left a total of 56 people injured, including 10 children. In the northern city of Chernihiv, a Russian cruise missile killed two 15-year-old girls, while three more civilians died when a drone struck an apartment block in Kremenchuk, according to Ukrainian authorities. Among the injured in Dnipro was a 40-year-old man who lost both legs in the railway station strike.
Humanitarian Aid Prepares to Enter Oleshky as Truce Holds
The localized ceasefire in and around Oleshky entered its third day on Thursday, bringing a rare period of quiet to the devastated southern region. Military units began clearing landmines ahead of planned humanitarian convoys intended to reach roughly 2,000 residents trapped in the Russian-occupied city.
This past week alone, Russia has launched around 1,600 guided aerial bombs, 48 missiles of various types, including ballistic missiles, and nearly 2,300 attack drones against Ukraine. Unfortunately, almost every day, these brutal strikes leave people killed and injured. In the… pic.twitter.com/c0Sq5Wy7lX
Ukrainian ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets stated that both sides were fully adhering to the agreement with no violations reported, noting that aid deliveries were scheduled to begin Friday. His Russian counterpart, Yana Lantratova, confirmed that engineers were actively demining Oleshky’s roads to establish safe passage. Officials indicated that local residents would be permitted to evacuate toward either Russia or Ukraine depending on their personal preference, though the operational mechanics remain undetermined.
Lantratova reported that her team was en route to Oleshky following an operation five months in the making. Belarusian state media reported that Russian and Ukrainian representatives met Thursday in Homel, Belarus, before flying together to the Kherson region.
In nearby Ukrainian-held Kherson, the temporary stillness allowed residents to return to the streets. Nataliia Myronenko, 42, managed a steady stream of customers at her coffee kiosk, noting that the absence of active shelling provided a temporary reprieve. “It’s a breath of freedom, when you don’t look at the sky,” she said, adding that residents remained cautious of landmines underfoot.
Diplomatic Maneuvers and Infrastructure Pressures
The regional pause in fighting occurs as Moscow and Kyiv position themselves ahead of potential three-way talks scheduled for next month.
Concurrently, leaders have continued diplomatic efforts regarding the full-scale invasion that began more than four and a half years ago.
Technical infrastructure supporting Ukraine’s defense also faced scrutiny following sudden restrictions reported earlier this month on Starshield, the military-grade variant of SpaceX’s Starlink satellite internet network. Putin acknowledged late Wednesday that Russia has maintained communication with the American tech titan to coordinate orbital activities as Moscow develops its own equivalent system. “Elon Musk is a genius. Truly, a real genius,” Putin said. “We and our American partners value this relationship, and despite all the political issues, we continue to work closely together.”
Meanwhile, the Russian Defense Ministry reported that its air defenses downed 1,214 Ukrainian drones overnight in one of the largest drone attacks launched by Kyiv, with Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin noting that roughly half of those unmanned aircraft targeted the Russian capital.
Keep reading
