Russia Attacks Civilians Amid Ceasefire Talks... Fatalities Reported in Train Strike

Civilian Casualties in Kharkiv Include Children and Pregnant Women
Russian Offensive Continues Amid Power Shortages

Yonhap News

Even as ceasefire negotiations are underway, Russia continues to launch intense offensives against Ukraine, resulting in ongoing civilian casualties, including children and pregnant women. This is interpreted as an attempt to maximize civilian fear and increase bargaining power in negotiations, but criticism is expected to grow over what is being called "inhumane terrorism" in violation of international law.

According to AFP and other foreign media on the 28th (local time), a passenger train passing through Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city, was attacked by Russian drones the previous night. Local authorities stated that three drones struck at least two carriages, killing four people and injuring more than two others. Over 200 passengers were on board the train, all of whom were evacuated. Just a day earlier, Russia had attacked another passenger train passing through the same area, resulting in injuries; at that time, 291 civilians were on board.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky shared a video of the burning train on social media, condemning the attack as "an unmistakable act of terrorism." He emphasized, "There can be no disagreement anywhere-in Europe, the United States, the Middle East, or China-that such acts are terrorism," and stressed, "There is no military justification for killing civilians inside train carriages."

While trilateral talks among the United States, Russia, and Ukraine are gaining momentum, Russian attacks continue to target civilian infrastructure. In the southern Odesa region, port infrastructure was destroyed and three people were injured after two consecutive days of airstrikes. This occurred just hours after a previous attack in which three civilians were killed and 23 others, including children and pregnant women, were injured.

In central Dnipropetrovsk, one person was killed and five were injured in another Russian drone attack, while civilian deaths from shelling were also reported in the southern Kherson region. Continued airstrikes targeting energy infrastructure have left 710,000 citizens without electricity. The Ukrainian Air Force reported that Russia launched 165 attack drones overnight.

Russia's offensive is interpreted as a strategy to further pressure Ukrainian citizens, who are already facing extreme conditions due to severe winter heating and power shortages, in order to force territorial concessions. However, Russia and Ukraine have yet to find common ground regarding Donetsk in the east. Russia is demanding the entire Donetsk region, while Ukraine is proposing to freeze the current front lines and establish a demilitarized zone.