Moldovan president demands stronger pressure on Russia after Kharkiv train attack

Moldovan President Maia Sandu has called for continuous international pressure on Russia after a drone strike targeted a passenger train in Ukraine’s Kharkiv region on January 27, resulting in the deaths of five civilians.

Sandu shared the statement on X, highlighting the urgent need for accountability and international action, Caliber.Az reports.

This train was carrying men and women going about their lives. Civilians. Striking them violates international law. Those responsible must be held accountable. Russia must face sustained pressure, and Ukraine must receive continued support to defend its people and Europe’s peace. https://t.co/SSjd4ajBUv

— Maia Sandu (@sandumaiamd) January 28, 2026

“This train was carrying men and women going about their lives. Civilians. Striking them violates international law. Those responsible must be held accountable. Russia must face sustained pressure, and Ukraine must receive continued support to defend its people and Europe’s peace,” Sandu noted.

A passenger train in northeastern Ukraine has been hit by Russian drones, killing at least five people, local authorities said. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called the strike an act of "terrorism" and called on the international community to step up pressure on Moscow.

The attack on the train, which set off a fire, came just hours after Russian drones bombed the southern Ukrainian city of Odessa, killing three people and wounding 25. Moscow has stepped up its air offensive in an attempt to force Kyiv to accept a US-backed peace deal in a war that is approaching four years.

In the Kharkiv region, prosecutors said the remains of five bodies had been found at the scene of the train attack near a village. Images posted on social media showed at least two carriages engulfed in flames on a snow-covered railway line.

"In any country, a drone attack on a civilian train would be considered exactly the same way, simply as terrorism", Zelenskyy wrote on his Telegram channel.

"Our cause, and this is what should unite all normal people in the world, is to ensure progress in protecting life. This is possible by exerting pressure on Russia", he added.

By Vafa Guliyeva