Russian Attacks in Ukraine Kill at Least 12, Passenger Train Hit

At least 12 people were killed in a series of Russian overnight attacks across Ukraine, including a drone strike on a passenger train and heavy bombardment of residential areas, Ukrainian authorities said on Tuesday.The strikes came only days after Russian and Ukrainian negotiators held direct, US-brokered talks in the United Arab Emirates, aimed at finding a path toward ending nearly four years of war.In Ukraine’s northeastern Kharkiv region, a Russian drone struck a passenger train carrying nearly 200 people. According to Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko, the drone hit one of the train’s carriages, killing at least five civilians.President Volodymyr Zelensky strongly condemned the attack, saying there was “no military justification” for targeting civilians aboard a train. Images shared by prosecutors showed a badly burned carriage, which emergency crews later extinguished.Meanwhile, Russia launched a large-scale drone assault on the southern port city of Odesa. Regional officials said more than 50 drones struck the city, killing three people and injuring over 30 others. Among the wounded were a woman who was 39 weeks pregnant and two young girls, according to regional governor Oleg Kiper.An AFP journalist at the scene reported severe damage, including the collapse of part of a residential building, as rescue teams searched through debris for survivors. Odesa, a key hub for Ukrainian exports via the Black Sea, has been repeatedly targeted in recent months.Zelensky said the latest attacks were undermining diplomatic efforts and urged Ukraine’s allies to increase pressure on Moscow. He warned that continued strikes weaken any remaining chance for meaningful negotiations.Russian attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure also continued overnight, leaving millions without electricity, heating, and lighting amid freezing winter conditions. Private energy company DTEK said one of its facilities in the Odesa region suffered “enormous” damage.Authorities reported widespread destruction, with dozens of homes, schools, kindergartens, and a church damaged in Odesa alone.In eastern Ukraine’s Donetsk region, a married couple aged 45 and 48 were killed in Sloviansk, while their 20-year-old son survived, prosecutors said. In Zaporizhzhia, a 58-year-old man died in a drone attack, and in the southern Kherson region, a 72-year-old woman was killed by shelling inside her home.Ukraine’s air force said Russia launched 165 attack drones overnight across the country. An infrastructure facility in the western Lviv region was also hit, while state gas company Naftogaz confirmed that one of its sites caught fire, marking the fifth such attack this month.Despite ongoing diplomatic talks, Russian forces continue to advance slowly along the front lines. On Tuesday, Russia’s defence ministry claimed its troops had captured two additional villages in the Zaporizhzhia and Kharkiv regions. Ukraine’s next round of peace talks is expected to take place on February 1, according to President Zelensky.