22 killed in Ukraine Independence Day railway attack, says Zelenskyy

The attacks came exactly six months to the day since Russia launched its invasion on Ukraine, as Senior International Correspondent John Irvine reports

Russian missiles struck a Ukrainian train station killing at least 22 people and injuring more on the war-torn country's Independence Day, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said.

After warning for days that Moscow might attempt “something particularly nasty, something particularly cruel” this week, the Ukrainian president confirmed the attack in the eastern Dnipro region on Wednesday.

The rocket attack was launched on a public railway station in Chaplyne, a town of about 3,500 people, amid scaled-back celebrations marking 31 years since Ukraine broke from Russia’s rule after the collapse of the Soviet Union.

At one point, President Zelenskyy put the number of wounded at about 50 - though the deputy head of his office later said 22 people were wounded in the attack, which hit five passenger rail cars.

The president's office also reported that an 11-year-old child was killed by rocket fire in another part of the region.

Ukraine's Minister of Foreign Affairs Dmytro Kuleba tweeted images of the attack on the railway station and said "terrorist Russia keeps killing Ukrainian civilians" and that it "must be stopped now before it kills more people in Ukraine and beyond".

Ukraine had been bracing for especially heavy attacks around the national holiday that commemorates Ukraine's declaration of independence in 1991, as it also marked the six-month point in the war.

Days ahead of Independence Day, Kyiv authorities banned large gatherings in the capital until Thursday for fear of missile strikes.

Residents of Kyiv, which has been largely spared in recent months, woke up on Wednesday to air raid sirens, but no immediate strikes followed.

As the day wore on, Russian bombardments were reported in the country's east, west and centre, with the most serious attack appearing to be at the train station.

Boris Johnson made his third visit to Kyiv since Russia invaded in February and met with Mr Zelenskyy to pledge a further £54 million of military aid, including 2,000 drones to target Moscow's forces.

He urged Western allies to stand by Ukraine through the winter and said soaring energy bills were a necessary price to pay to resist Vladimir Putin's "evils".

“This is not the time to put forward flimsy negotiating proposals,” he said.

“You can’t negotiate with a bear when it’s eating your leg or with a street robber when he has you pinned to the floor."

US President Joe Biden also announced a new military aid package of nearly $3 billion (more than £2.5 billion) to help Ukrainian forces fight for years to come.

Six months into the conflict, how long could it last?

Over the weekend, Mr Zelenskyy cautioned that “Russian provocations and brutal strikes are a possibility” in the coming week.

Despite concerns, a festive atmosphere still prevailed during the day at Kyiv's Maidan square as thousands of residents posed for pictures next to burned-out Russian tanks put on display. Folk singers set up, and many revelers — ignoring the sirens — were out and about in traditionally embroidered dresses and shirts. But others had been fearful.

“I can’t sleep at night because of what I see and hear about what is being done in Ukraine," said a retiree who gave only her first name, Tetyana, her voice shaking with emotion.

“This is not a war. It is the destruction of the Ukrainian people."

A car bombing outside Moscow that killed the 29-year-old daughter of right-wing Russian political theorist Alexander Dugin on Saturday also heightened fears that Russia might intensify attacks on Ukraine this week.

Russian officials have blamed Ukraine for the death of Darya Dugina, a pro-Kremlin TV commentator. Ukraine has denied any involvement.

Vladimir Putin's forces have encountered unexpectedly stiff Ukrainian resistance in their invasion and abandoned their effort to storm the capital in the spring. The fighting has turned into a slog that has reduced neighborhoods to rubble and sent shock waves through the world economy.

On the battlefield, Russian forces struck several towns and villages in Donetsk province in the east over 24 hours, killing one person, authorities said.

A building materials superstore in the city of Donetsk was hit by a shell and erupted in flames, the mayor said. There were no immediate reports of any injuries.

In the Dnipro region, the Russians again shelled the cities of Nikopol and Marhanets, damaging several buildings and wounding people, authorities said. Russian troops also shelled the city of Zaporizhzhia, but no casualties were reported.

Russian rockets also struck unspecified targets in the Khmelnytskyi region, about 300 kilometres (180 miles) west of Kyiv, the regional governor said. Attacks there have been infrequent.