On Wednesday, June 10, the Russian army attacked the Sumy railway station. A Shahed drone was shot down by air defense systems directly over the station building — its debris fell on passenger train No. 143 Sumy–Rakhiv, which was standing on the track. The roof of the last car caught fire.

According to acting city mayor Artem Kobzar, four civilians were injured at the station. Initially, two were reported: a 62-year-old man and a 36-year-old woman — both were hospitalized in satisfactory condition. Later, two more injured women were reported — ages 69 and 38. There were no deaths.

«Passengers and train crew were not injured because they were in a shelter».

Ukrzaliznytsia, official statement

Rescuers quickly extinguished the fire. Train No. 143 departed from Sumy, but is running with a delay of over five hours — due to track inspection and clearance restoration after the attack.

Railway as a target: not the first time and not by chance

Sumy is located directly on the border with Russia, so the city comes under fire almost daily. The region's railway infrastructure is a separate priority: on the night of May 30, dozens of Shaheds with direct hits destroyed the station building in Shostka in Sumy Oblast; on October 4, 2025, a strike on the same Shostka killed one person and injured at least 30.

The head of the city military administration, Serhiy Kryvosheiko, confirmed the attack and noted that the facts are being documented as another war crime by Russia against civilians.

Train No. 143 Sumy–Rakhiv covers almost 1,300 kilometers across the entire country: from the border East to the Carpathians. The route was only restored on June 1 after a prolonged reduction due to hostilities. Now it is under fire again on the day of departure.

The logic of the strike: why train stations?

Railways are a critical artery not only for civilian evacuation and supply, but also for military logistics. Russia strikes them almost daily: according to Ukrzaliznytsia, attacks on railway infrastructure became systematic after the failure of the «blitzkrieg». However, the effect of strikes on stations is primarily psychological: Russia has failed to stop the railways so far, and trains resume operations even after direct hits.

If Russia continues its tactic of striking key stations in border cities, the question is no longer whether Ukrzaliznytsia will be able to maintain operations — but at what cost among civilians this will happen.