Dozens were killed and injured as Russia bombed the major rail evacuation hub on the eastern flank of the territory held by the government in Kyiv, Ukrainian officials said on Friday.
At least 39 were killed and more than 80 were injured when at least one Russian "Tochka-U” missile with cluster munition hit the main train station in Kramatorsk, a city about 75 kilometers (47 miles) away from the separatist-held Donetsk, officials said.
The city has turned into an evacuation center, offering a chance to about 8,000 people a day -- mainly women and children -- to flee Russia’s war, Mayor Oleksandr Honcharenko said. Photos released by Zelenskiy and the Defense Ministry showed victims lying scattered around among packed suitcases. The attack drew strong condemnation from Ukraine and the European Union.
"Having neither forces nor bravery to face us on the battlefield, they are cynically destroying civilian population,” President Volodymyr Zelenskiy wrote on Facebook.
Russia’s Defense Ministry denied responsibility for the attack, claiming that it has phased out the type of missile found on the scene, Interfax reported.
Several hours before the attack, Russian forces shelled the only government-held rail link from Kramatorsk to western parts of Ukraine, the regional railway said.
More than 200,000 residents of the Donestk region have used the railway for evacuation since the war started on Feb. 24, regional government spokeswoman Tetyana Ihnatchenko told Ukraine 24 TV.
