Ukraine was disrupted from celebrating its Independence Day on Wednesday when a Russian rocket strike killed 22 people on a railroad station, said President Volodymyr Zelensky, who warned that Moscow might attempt "something particularly cruel" on the holiday.
The brutal attack occurred in Chaplyne, a town of about 3,500 people located in the central Dnipropetrovsk region. The Ukrainian president initially said that roughly 50 people were wounded, but his office later reduced the number to 22. Authorities also said that five passenger rail cars were struck.
Independence Day Attack
The attack came four days after a car-bomb blast outside Moscow that killed a hardline commentator who was the daughter of a Russian ultranationalist. The incident prompted calls for revenge, but Ukraine denied involvement in the bombing.
On top of the 31st anniversary of Ukraine's independence from the Soviet Union, Wednesday also marked six months since its war with Russia began. Kyiv officials had prohibited large public gatherings this week and told government employees to work from home in anticipation of a Russian rocket strike amid the elevated tensions, as per USA Today.
Furthermore, the United States issued a security alert citing "information that Russia is stepping up efforts to launch strikes against Ukraine's civilian infrastructure and government facilities in the coming days."
Zelensky also delivered a fiery speech on Wednesday where he pledged to drive the occupiers out of his battered country as he stood among burned-out Russian tanks in downtown Kyiv. He argued that Donbas and Crimea were both parts of Ukraine and that they would be returned.
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According to BBC, Ukraine said that five of the victims of the Russian strike were burnt to death in a vehicle. Officials added that the fatalities included an 11-year-old boy. Russia has so far not made any comments regarding the brutal attack.
Russia Aggression
Zelensky noted that he was made aware of the attack on Chaplyne as he was preparing to speak to the Security Council. He added that the assault was how Moscow prepared for the United Nations Security council meeting.
The Ukrainian president previously accused Russia's military forces of turning the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant into a "war zone" that endangered the plant and the people of Europe and put the world "on the brink of a radiation catastrophe.
In a statement, the UN Secretary-General told the same meeting that the "senseless war" could push millions of people into extreme poverty, both in Ukraine and beyond. Worldwide, there were gatherings of supporters in the streets to mark Ukraine's independence on Wednesday.
Furthermore, world leaders rallied to support the embattled nation to mark the occasion amid the fighting with Russia. UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson appeared in Kyiv on an unannounced trip to show his country's support of Ukraine and announced $63.5 million in new military aid.
People in Kyiv, which has been an area largely spared in recent months, woke up on Wednesday to the sound of air raid sirens, but no immediate strikes followed. As the day wore on, Russian bombardments were reported in the country's east, west, and center, with the most serious attack apparently at the train station, the Associated Press reported.
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