Russian attacks on railway facilities in Kyiv leave at least 12 dead

BarcelonaAt least twelve people died early this morning in a new massive Russian attack with ballistic missiles and drones against the Kyiv region, according to the State Emergency Service of Ukraine and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky himself. Among the main targets of the bombing is the Ukrainian state railway company, Ukrzaliznytsia, and, in fact, six of the fatalities are workers from the attacked facilities, as announced by the company itself. Among the victims is a citizen of Indian nationality.

Four more people died in attacks against another industrial infrastructure and also against a gas station in the town of Boryspil, near Kyiv. These types of offensives have increased lately. In recent months, Russian forces have attacked around 250 Ukrainian service stations in what officials and analysts describe as a systematic and deadly campaign of retaliation for Ukraine's attacks on Russian refineries. In the attacks of the last few hours, residential areas have also suffered damage from the impact of Russian drones and missiles. In Boryspil, a five-story residential building has been damaged and up to fifty people have been evacuated, according to a statement issued by Zelensky.

Other parts of the country have also been affected. Attacks with guided aerial bombs and drones against Odesa and its region have continued throughout the night, leaving thousands of homes without electricity. And a border crossing with Romania has been "deliberately damaged" by Russia, according to the Ukrainian president.

Ukraine's Minister of Foreign Affairs wrote on X that this new attack on Kyiv shows that Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin is not interested in peace, unlike Volodymyr Zelensky, who is offering a ceasefire and requesting a meeting of presidents to discuss the end of the war.

In fact, Russia has attacked Kyiv almost uninterruptedly since Thursday, mainly with drones, in a bombing campaign that has had supermarkets' warehouses and other retail companies as its main targets, among others.

The latest moves to end the war

Following the attack, Minister Andriy Sibiga has called for increased economic pressure on Russia with the approval by the United States Congress of a law that would grant the president additional powers to impose secondary sanctions in the form of tariffs on those who continue to finance the Russian war effort by purchasing oil. The head of Ukrainian diplomacy has also called for new international sanctions affecting Russia's ability to continue producing ballistic missiles and has urged its partners to allocate frozen Russian assets, particularly in the European Union, to aid Ukraine.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated yesterday, Monday, that he had held a "detailed and constructive" conversation with Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, envoys of the President of the United States, Donald Trump, and that the parties were working to finalize the dates of his visit to Ukraine with the aim of boosting peace efforts.

Also this Monday, the Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi, told Russian President Vladimir Putin that "the war had to end "for the good of humanity". "Every day it continues, humanity takes a step back," Modi stated.

Indeed, the conflict has led some NATO members, especially those bordering Russia, to strengthen their military capabilities, also following the intensification of drone incidents in border areas. NATO's Baltic air policing mission briefly activated fighter jets in Latvia, and Finland has restricted air and maritime traffic near Russia, as reported separately on X by the armed forces of both countries, while drones flew over the Russian region of Leningrad.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Estonia, Margus Tsahkna, whose country also briefly issued an air threat alert this Tuesday, thanked NATO's "quick and exactly as expected" reaction in deploying fighter jets in a post on X.