Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that Russian combat drones hit a civilian passenger train in the Kharkiv region on Tuesday, resulting in at least four deaths, which he condemned as an “act of terrorism.”

In a post on X, he wrote, “In any country, a drone strike on a civilian train would be regarded in the same way – purely as an act of terrorism. There would be no doubt about the classification, neither in Europe, nor in America, nor in the Arab world, nor in China, nor anywhere else.” He added, “There is, and can be, no military justification for killing civilians in a train carriage.”

Ukrainian authorities announced Wednesday via Telegram that the confirmed death toll had increased to five, with two individuals wounded and one person unaccounted for.

According to Oleksiy Kuleba, Ukraine’s deputy prime minister, the assault involved three Russian drones targeting the train that was transporting over 200 passengers.

He also stated that eighteen travelers were in the specific carriage struck by one of the drones.

The incident occurred after weekend discussions in Abu Dhabi between Russian and U.S. officials focused on resolving the nearly four-year conflict.

U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff described the discussions as “very constructive” and indicated that arrangements were underway for further meetings this week.

Witkoff stated, “President Trump and his entire team are dedicated to bringing peace to this war.”

Russia has persisted with strikes during negotiations, causing thousands of civilians to lose electricity and heating amid ongoing winter weather.

Zelenskyy reported that major power failures continue throughout the area, with hundreds of homes in three city districts lacking heat even as repair work continues.

He observed, “Repair crews are working at maximum capacity. Crews from almost across the entire country have been deployed to assist.”