A Russian drone strike on a passenger train in the Odessa region of southern Ukraine has killed the train driver and his assistant, Ukrainian Railways said on Thursday.<\/p>\n
The 340 passengers on board were being evacuated, the state rail operator said. The attack involved a drone, it added.<\/p>\n
The drone operator must have known that this was a civilian train, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky wrote on social media. He published a video showing fire and destruction affecting part of the train.<\/p>\n
Zelensky spoke of Russian attacks in 11 regions of the country during the night. He once again called for more air-defence support and greater pressure on Russia.<\/p>\n
Russia has been waging a destructive war against Ukraine for nearly four and a half years. Russian attacks have repeatedly caused deaths and damage to rail services and railway stations.<\/p>\n
Ukrainian drone counter-attacks have reached deep into Russian territory to strike energy facilities and infrastructure seen to support the war effort.<\/p>\n
Ukrainian forces set fire to an oil refinery and a warehouse belonging to Russia's largest online retailer, Wildberries, in new drone strikes deep inside Russian territory, the head of the Republic of Bashkortostan, Radiy Khabirov, said on Thursday.<\/p>\n
Khabirov said two people had been injured in the city of Salavat and taken to hospital.<\/p>\n
Media also reported a drone strike and a fire at an oil refinery belonging to energy giant Gazprom.<\/p>\n
Khabirov said Russian air defences had shot down 16 of an overall 21 drones, adding that the target of the attack had been a logistics centre.<\/p>\n
Wildberries, whose warehouses have come under Ukrainian attack for weeks, confirmed the strike and the fire, saying the building had been evacuated.<\/p>\n
Russia's Investigative Committee accused Ukraine of carrying out another "terrorist attack" on civilian infrastructure.<\/p>\n
Ukraine argues that Wildberries serves Russian war aims. The company and the Kremlin have categorically denied this, saying it is civilian infrastructure.<\/p>\n
Commentators see the attacks as an attempt by Kiev to destabilize Russia through mounting economic problems.<\/p>\n
Ukrainian drone attacks also left the port city of Sevastopol on the Russian-annexed Crimean Peninsula without power once again, Russian authorities said.<\/p>\n