Dozens died after a collision at a railway station in Kramatorsk, Ukraine
A railway station in Kramatorsk, Ukraine, used to evacuate civilians, was hit by a rocket attack.
Cody Godwin, Associated Press
Thousands were waiting at a train station in the eastern Ukrainian city of Kramatorsk on Friday, killing dozens, including children, and possibly injuring hundreds more, Ukrainian officials said.
At least 39 people were killed and between 87 and 300 were injured, regional governor Pavlo Kirilenko said in a Telegram post. Ukrainian authorities have previously estimated that about 30 people were killed in the attack.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, writing on social media, said thousands of people were present at the station during the strike.
“Inhuman Russians do not change their methods. “Without the strength and courage to stand up to us on the battlefield, they are cynically destroying the civilian population,” the president said on social media. “This is an evil without borders. And if it is not punished, it will never stop. “
Russia’s Defense Ministry has denied targeting the station in Kramatorsk, a city in the Donetsk region controlled by the Ukrainian government. The station was used to evacuate civilians. On Friday, nearly 4,000 civilians were at the station, according to the Office of the Prosecutor General of Ukraine, and children were also killed, the National Police of Ukraine said.
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Latest developments
►The Ambassador of the European Union to Ukraine has returned to the nation’s capital, Kyiv, which means improved security in the region. EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell announced the news in Kyiv on Friday, where he joined European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen for talks with Zelensky.
“Ten humanitarian corridors in three regions opened on Friday, Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said in a statement.
►With growing evidence of Russian military atrocities in Ukraine, the UN General Assembly on Thursday voted to remove Russia from the organization’s Human Rights Council. The vote was 93-24 with 58 abstentions.
►US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said on Thursday that Russian President Vladimir Putin “probably gave up” his efforts to take over Kyiv, noting Russia’s shifted focus on eastern and southern Ukraine
The head of the UN humanitarian service is “not optimistic” that a ceasefire will be reached amid growing evidence of Russian military atrocities in Ukraine.
Deputy Secretary-General Martin Griffiths told the Associated Press on Thursday that the two sides “have very little trust in each other.” The two countries held peace talks last week in Turkey, but largely failed to bring about a breakthrough – Russian President Vladimir Putin broke expectations even before talks began.
On Thursday, both the United States and the European Union escalated sanctions against Russia: the US Senate unanimously supported a ban on oil imports from Russia and the cessation of normal trade relations with the country, while EU countries agreed to new sanctions against Russia, which include ban on coal imports.
The UN General Assembly also approved a US-initiated resolution to suspend Russia from the World Organization’s Human Rights Council amid growing evidence of Russian military atrocities in Ukraine. The vote was 93-24 with 58 abstentions.
“War criminals have no place in UN bodies aimed at protecting human rights,” Ukrainian Ambassador Sergei Kislitsa wrote on Twitter after the vote. “I am grateful to all the Member States who supported the relevant UN General Assembly resolution and chose the right side of history.”
When they left Chernihiv in northern Ukraine, Russian forces left a road of terror under siege weeks later: smashed buildings, streets littered with destroyed cars, and residents desperately in need of food and other help. Still, the Russians withdrew after facing fierce resistance on the battlefield.
Now that Moscow is targeting the Donbass region to the east, what can be expected in Ukraine’s industrial center?
Ukrainian and Western officials say the Russians plan to encircle tens of thousands of Ukrainian troops in the Donbass, moving from Izyum, near Kharkiv to the north, and from besieged Mariupol to the south. The timing will depend on how quickly Russia can take over the southern port city, which has been reduced to rubble after weeks of bombing but has not yet fallen from the invading forces. Russia also needs to replenish troops that have been withdrawn from Kyiv and other areas to the north.
The Washington-based Institute for War Studies said in an analysis that Russian troops would likely try to advance from Izyum to capture the strategic city of Slavyansk and connect with other Russian forces in Donbass in what it said: “It will probably be will be the next key battle of the war in Ukraine.
Fox News correspondent Benjamin Hall shared his first update on social media since being injured last month in Ukraine, and paid tribute to two colleagues who were killed in the attack.
“To sum up, I lost half a leg on one side and one leg on the other. One arm is being assembled, one eye is no longer working and my hearing is quite swollen, but overall I feel very lucky to be here – and the people who brought me here are amazing! “Hall said on Twitter with his photo on a stretcher. deleted then tweet.
Fox News cameraman Pierre Zakrzewski, journalist Alexandra “Sasha” Kuvshinova and Hall were traveling in a vehicle in Khorenka, a village nearly 20 miles from Kyiv, when they were hit by an incoming fire on March 14. Zakzhevski and Kuvshinova were killed. Hall was evacuated days later.
Hall told Zakrzewski: “Work was his joy and his joy was contagious.”
“Janine Santichi.”
Contribution: Associated Press
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