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KRAMATORSK, Ukraine — At least 50 people were killed and 98 injured Friday at the Kramatorsk train station in eastern Ukraine, according to Ukrainian officials, in what they said was a Russian missile attack while evacuees were waiting to escape an expected Russian onslaught in the region. Washington Post reporters who arrived at the station 15 minutes after the attack counted at least 20 dead, including five children, amid the destruction. Among the casualties, a dozen died at the hospital.
View live politics updatesUkrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Russia of “cynically destroying the civilian population,” amid battlefield losses, adding: “This is an evil that has no limits.” The Russian Defense Ministry denied any involvement in the strike, calling the accusations a “provocation” and insinuating that Kyiv was responsible.
A missile fragment found near the train station was inscribed with the words, “for the children,” written in Russian. A Russian military analyst who monitors the federation’s troop movements had warned via Telegram the day before the attack that evacuees should avoid rail routes.
The deadly strike came as European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen traveled to Bucha, and then Kyiv to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. She made the trip a day after the European Union approved a plan to phase out Russian coal by mid-August, a move spurred by global outrage after the brutal slaying of civilians in the Kyiv suburb of Bucha.
Here’s what to know
Odessa to be placed under curfew in response to Kramatorsk attack
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Residents of the southern Ukrainian city of Odessa, which has endured relatively few attacks during the war, will be subject to a curfew this weekend in response to the assault on the Kramatorsk train station.
Odessa’s regional government cited the missile strike in a Telegram post announcing the curfew that will run from 9 p.m. Saturday to 6 a.m. Monday. People will not be allowed on the streets or in other public places during that time without a permit.
“I appeal to the residents of Odessa and the region to understand the restrictions and not violate them,” Maxim Marchenko, governor of the Odessa region, said in a statement. “Such measures are necessary, first of all, for your safety, which will save your life, because the consequences can be fatal.”
Residents of the southern Ukrainian city of Odessa, which has endured relatively few attacks during the war, will be subject to a curfew this weekend in response to the assault on the Kramatorsk train station.
Odessa’s regional government cited the missile strike in a Telegram post announcing the curfew that will run from 9 p.m. Saturday to 6 a.m. Monday. People will not be allowed on the streets or in other public places during that time without a permit.
“I appeal to the residents of Odessa and the region to understand the restrictions and not violate them,” Maxim Marchenko, governor of the Odessa region, said in a statement. “Such measures are necessary, first of all, for your safety, which will save your life, because the consequences can be fatal.”
Countless Russian bodies remain unclaimed in Ukraine
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Soon after the invasion began, a hashtag war slogan popped up everywhere in Russia: “We don’t leave ours behind.” But many were.
In Irpin, on the outskirts of the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, two Russian soldiers killed in battle lay on a street corner, covered with a sheet of metal, legs poking out. A third lay a few feet away near a burned-out armored personnel carrier, a lower leg gnawed by dogs. A fourth lay further along the road, the victim of a mine.
In Moshchun, a once-idyllic hamlet northwest of Kyiv, another Russian soldier died badly inside a dimly lit kitchen, lying on a bench with a gruesome groin wound. Ten others were scattered about, several on the fringes of a forest.
While countless bodies have been abandoned on the battlefield, many more have found their way back to their families, but Russia’s overall death toll, though staggering, remains elusive. At home, the Kremlin has clamped down on news of military casualties, apparently wary of how a nation’s grief could turn volatile. In 2015, Putin signed a decree declaring all military deaths a state secret, and last year Russia criminalized statements discrediting the military.
Soon after the invasion began, a hashtag war slogan popped up everywhere in Russia: “We don’t leave ours behind.” But many were.
In Irpin, on the outskirts of the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, two Russian soldiers killed in battle lay on a street corner, covered with a sheet of metal, legs poking out. A third lay a few feet away near a burned-out armored personnel carrier, a lower leg gnawed by dogs. A fourth lay further along the road, the victim of a mine.
In Moshchun, a once-idyllic hamlet northwest of Kyiv, another Russian soldier died badly inside a dimly lit kitchen, lying on a bench with a gruesome groin wound. Ten others were scattered about, several on the fringes of a forest.
While countless bodies have been abandoned on the battlefield, many more have found their way back to their families, but Russia’s overall death toll, though staggering, remains elusive. At home, the Kremlin has clamped down on news of military casualties, apparently wary of how a nation’s grief could turn volatile. In 2015, Putin signed a decree declaring all military deaths a state secret, and last year Russia criminalized statements discrediting the military.
Photos: The scene at the Kramatorsk train station
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At least 50 people were killed and 98 injured Friday at the Kramatorsk train station in eastern Ukraine, according to Ukrainian officials, in what they said was a Russian missile attack while evacuees were waiting to escape an expected Russian onslaught in the region. Washington Post photographer Wojciech Grzedzinski arrived at the station 15 minutes after the attack and documented the scene, including wounded being treated at a nearby hospital.
At least 50 people were killed and 98 injured Friday at the Kramatorsk train station in eastern Ukraine, according to Ukrainian officials, in what they said was a Russian missile attack while evacuees were waiting to escape an expected Russian onslaught in the region. Washington Post photographer Wojciech Grzedzinski arrived at the station 15 minutes after the attack and documented the scene, including wounded being treated at a nearby hospital.
Key update
‘For the children’ written on missile in Kramatorsk attack
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A missile that killed at least 50 people at the Kramatorsk train station in eastern Ukraine was emblazoned with the words “For the children” in Russian, which some say is a suggestion that the attack was meant as revenge for Russian children.
The phrase on the missile remnant, which landed about 100 yards from the station’s entrance, is apparently in keeping with the Kremlin’s assertions that it is fighting the war to protect Ukraine’s separatist Donbas region and Russia.
The Russian Defense Ministry has denied carrying out the strike and suggested that Ukraine was responsible. It claimed that the type of weapon found near the train station was “used only by the Ukrainian armed forces.”
In addition to the dozens of deaths, Ukrainian officials said at least 98 people were injured in the attack. Evacuees were waiting at the station to escape expected Russian aggression in the region, the officials said.
A missile that killed at least 50 people at the Kramatorsk train station in eastern Ukraine was emblazoned with the words “For the children” in Russian, which some say is a suggestion that the attack was meant as revenge for Russian children.
The phrase on the missile remnant, which landed about 100 yards from the station’s entrance, is apparently in keeping with the Kremlin’s assertions that it is fighting the war to protect Ukraine’s separatist Donbas region and Russia.
The Russian Defense Ministry has denied carrying out the strike and suggested that Ukraine was responsible. It claimed that the type of weapon found near the train station was “used only by the Ukrainian armed forces.”
In addition to the dozens of deaths, Ukrainian officials said at least 98 people were injured in the attack. Evacuees were waiting at the station to escape expected Russian aggression in the region, the officials said.
Foreigners ready to join Ukraine’s fight must pass tougher muster
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LVIV, Ukraine — Canadian Igor Volzhanin was visiting friends here in late February, with plans to attend Louis C.K.’s stand-up comedy show in Kyiv, then jet to the Swiss Alps for a ski trip. Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine upended all that, and Volzhanin instead answered President Volodymyr Zelensky’s call for foreign volunteers to help Ukraine fight back.
The 34-year-old former tech entrepreneur, who grew up in Toronto, has no military experience. He signed up anyway.
“I saw the early images of women picking up guns and going to fight,” Volzhanin said, “and I thought, if I can save just one person from having to do that, I will have done something for humanity.”
Initially, Ukraine cast a wide net and was willing to accept foreign volunteers with just basic proficiency in Ukrainian or English. The process from application to acceptance for Volzhanin took 24 hours. Then, three weeks ago, the word went out that only people with combat experience and Ukrainian or English fluency need apply. The process now takes about four to seven days.
LVIV, Ukraine — Canadian Igor Volzhanin was visiting friends here in late February, with plans to attend Louis C.K.’s stand-up comedy show in Kyiv, then jet to the Swiss Alps for a ski trip. Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine upended all that, and Volzhanin instead answered President Volodymyr Zelensky’s call for foreign volunteers to help Ukraine fight back.
The 34-year-old former tech entrepreneur, who grew up in Toronto, has no military experience. He signed up anyway.
“I saw the early images of women picking up guns and going to fight,” Volzhanin said, “and I thought, if I can save just one person from having to do that, I will have done something for humanity.”
Initially, Ukraine cast a wide net and was willing to accept foreign volunteers with just basic proficiency in Ukrainian or English. The process from application to acceptance for Volzhanin took 24 hours. Then, three weeks ago, the word went out that only people with combat experience and Ukrainian or English fluency need apply. The process now takes about four to seven days.
Fox News reporter Benjamin Hall reveals injuries suffered in Ukraine
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Fox News correspondent Benjamin Hall, who was badly injured during a March 14 shelling outside Kyiv that killed two of his colleagues, shared his first update about the extent of his injuries in a pair of social media posts on Thursday night.
“To sum it up, I’ve lost half a leg on one side and a foot on the other,” said Hall, a State Department correspondent who had been on the ground in Ukraine to cover the Russian invasion. “One hand is being put together, one eye is no longer working, and my hearing is pretty blown … but all in all I feel pretty damn lucky to be here.” He shared a photo of himself, heavily bandaged and wearing a patch over his left eye.
He also paid tribute to veteran Fox News cameraman Pierre Zakrzewski and to a Ukrainian fixer for the network, Oleksandra Kuvshynova, both of whom were killed. It has not yet been established who was responsible for the shelling, but the Ukrainian ministry of defense attributed the deaths at the time to Russian forces.
Hours later, both tweets were deleted, but before then they had been shared across Twitter thousands of times, prompting an outpouring of tributes and sympathy.
Fox News correspondent Benjamin Hall, who was badly injured during a March 14 shelling outside Kyiv that killed two of his colleagues, shared his first update about the extent of his injuries in a pair of social media posts on Thursday night.
“To sum it up, I’ve lost half a leg on one side and a foot on the other,” said Hall, a State Department correspondent who had been on the ground in Ukraine to cover the Russian invasion. “One hand is being put together, one eye is no longer working, and my hearing is pretty blown … but all in all I feel pretty damn lucky to be here.” He shared a photo of himself, heavily bandaged and wearing a patch over his left eye.
He also paid tribute to veteran Fox News cameraman Pierre Zakrzewski and to a Ukrainian fixer for the network, Oleksandra Kuvshynova, both of whom were killed. It has not yet been established who was responsible for the shelling, but the Ukrainian ministry of defense attributed the deaths at the time to Russian forces.
Hours later, both tweets were deleted, but before then they had been shared across Twitter thousands of times, prompting an outpouring of tributes and sympathy.
Russian shelling intensifies in eastern Ukraine, officials say
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MUKACHEVO, Ukraine — Ukrainian officials in the eastern part the country said Friday that shelling by Russian forces was intensifying throughout the region in what they described as preparation for an all-out assault that could take place “in days.”
In a video posted on his Telegram channel, Serhiy Haidai, the Luhansk regional governor, said the situation there was “very bad” and that Russian forces were shelling the area “constantly” with Grad and Smerch multiple rocket launchers.
“The scum don’t stop, and they are regularly raking us with fire,” he said.
Haidai also said that officials “understood clearly” that Russian troops were massing their “forces and means” in preparation for a major attack. “When it will be, we don’t know,” he said. “In the next days, unfortunately they’ll creep to us.”
Haidai urged the population to evacuate immediately and to help “your loved ones, neighbors, acquaintances, those who may not have information” to depart.
Pavlo Kyrylenko, the regional governor in Donetsk, where a missile strike on a train station in the city of Kramatorsk killed dozens Friday, also described a worsening situation in which other cities were coming under fire.
“They’re shelling all day, especially in Adiivka and Vuhledar,” Kyrylenko said in a television interview that was posted on his Telegram channel.
Elsewhere in eastern Ukraine, Petro Andryushchenko, an adviser to the Mariupol mayor’s office, denied reports that Russian forces have gained control of the port city. Some of the war’s heaviest fighting has taken place in Mariupol, and Ukrainian officials say civilian casualties could number in the thousands.
“For the second day in a row, the Russians are spreading the same news that they have taken control of the city. This does not correspond to reality,” Andryushchenko wrote on his Telegram channel.
Andryushchenko was writing from outside Mariupol, however, and his comments could not be verified independently.
MUKACHEVO, Ukraine — Ukrainian officials in the eastern part the country said Friday that shelling by Russian forces was intensifying throughout the region in what they described as preparation for an all-out assault that could take place “in days.”
In a video posted on his Telegram channel, Serhiy Haidai, the Luhansk regional governor, said the situation there was “very bad” and that Russian forces were shelling the area “constantly” with Grad and Smerch multiple rocket launchers.
“The scum don’t stop, and they are regularly raking us with fire,” he said.
Haidai also said that officials “understood clearly” that Russian troops were massing their “forces and means” in preparation for a major attack. “When it will be, we don’t know,” he said. “In the next days, unfortunately they’ll creep to us.”
Haidai urged the population to evacuate immediately and to help “your loved ones, neighbors, acquaintances, those who may not have information” to depart.
Pavlo Kyrylenko, the regional governor in Donetsk, where a missile strike on a train station in the city of Kramatorsk killed dozens Friday, also described a worsening situation in which other cities were coming under fire.
“They’re shelling all day, especially in Adiivka and Vuhledar,” Kyrylenko said in a television interview that was posted on his Telegram channel.
Elsewhere in eastern Ukraine, Petro Andryushchenko, an adviser to the Mariupol mayor’s office, denied reports that Russian forces have gained control of the port city. Some of the war’s heaviest fighting has taken place in Mariupol, and Ukrainian officials say civilian casualties could number in the thousands.
“For the second day in a row, the Russians are spreading the same news that they have taken control of the city. This does not correspond to reality,” Andryushchenko wrote on his Telegram channel.
Andryushchenko was writing from outside Mariupol, however, and his comments could not be verified independently.
Peskov: ‘Operation’ in Ukraine may be completed in foreseeable future
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