Seven killed in Russian ballistic strike on railway depot in Kyiv

Russia launched a targeted ballistic strike on a railway depot and other railway infrastructure in Kyiv overnight, killing seven people, including six employees of Ukraine's state railway operator Ukrzaliznytsia, the company's chief said on Tuesday, September 1.

Ukrzaliznytsia chief Oleksandr Pertsovskyi said the strike deliberately targeted the railway depot and other railway facilities in the Ukrainian capital.

Six of those killed were company employees. Another Ukrzaliznytsia worker was wounded and remains in hospital, where he is receiving medical treatment.

Dozens of railway workers managed to take shelter during the attack and survived. The company is now providing them with support as they recover from the experience.

Pertsovskyi said the strike caused extensive damage to railway infrastructure. A workshop near the depot was completely destroyed, while emergency crews were still dealing with several fires.

Rail traffic on two lines was temporarily suspended following the attack but was later restored.

"All of this is nothing compared with the terrible loss of our colleagues," Pertsovskyi wrote, adding that Ukrzaliznytsia was contacting the families of those killed and providing support during what he described as a difficult time.

The attack comes as Ukrzaliznytsia is preparing measures aimed at maintaining stable train services during prolonged air-raid alerts. The company had been working on changes to the operation of railway stations in response to the difficulties caused by repeated and lengthy alerts.

The railway operator had also been dealing with severe disruptions in recent days. On August 28, trains were running with delays for a second consecutive day, with some services arriving more than 15 hours late.

By Tamilla Hasanova