Two railway workers killed in Russian drone attack in Odessa region

On August 13, 2026, a Russian drone strike in the Odessa region of southern Ukraine killed a train driver and his assistant. Oleksandr Pertsovsky, the director of Ukrainian national railways, reported that the train was carrying 340 passengers and was in the process of entering a station to facilitate an evacuation due to an ongoing drone threat when the locomotive was struck. While the train engine sustained significant damage and caught fire, all 340 passengers and additional staff were safely evacuated without injury.

This incident occurred amidst a wider surge in aerial attacks across Ukraine. On the same day, Ukrainian authorities stated that Russia launched 133 drones, with 111 of them intercepted by national air defense units. These strikes have caused concern as debris frequently poses risks to civilian areas, including incidents in Kyiv where intercepted drones have fallen near populated roadways. The attack on the railway transport has been condemned by Ukrainian officials as a targeted strike against civilians and critical infrastructure.