Array
At least 22 people were killed and dozens wounded in a Russian rocket strike on a Ukrainian train station on Wednesday, President Volodymyr Zelensky said, as his nation marked the anniversary of its independence from Moscow-dominated Soviet rule.
Zelensky had warned on Tuesday of the risk of “repugnant Russian provocations” on Independence Day, which by chance was also six months since Russian forces invaded Ukraine, touching off Europe’s most devastating conflict since World War Two.
In a video address to the United Nations Security Council, Zelensky said the rockets hit a train in the small town of Chaplyne, some 145 km (90 miles) west of Russian-occupied Donetsk in eastern Ukraine. Four carriages were on fire, he said.
“Chaplyne is our pain today. As of this moment there are 22 dead,” Zelensky said in a later evening video address, adding Ukraine would make Russia take responsibility for everything it had done.
“We will without any doubt evict the invaders from our land. No trace of this evil will remain in our free Ukraine,” he said.
The Russian defence ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Celebrations of the Aug. 24 public holiday were cancelled, but many Ukrainians marked the occasion by wearing embroidered shirts typical of the national dress.
After days of warnings that Moscow could use Independence Day to fire more missiles into major urban centres, the second-biggest city Kharkiv was under curfew, following months of frequent bombardment.
Air raid sirens blared at least seven times in the capital Kyiv during the day though no attacks transpired.
In an emotional speech to compatriots earlier in the day, Zelensky said Ukraine was “reborn” when Russia invaded and that it would eventually drive out Russian forces completely.
“A new nation appeared in the world on Feb.
