Dozens killed as Russia strikes Ukraine rail evacuation hub

Bloomberg

Dozens were killed and injured as Russia bombed a major rail evacuation hub on the eastern flank of the territory held by the government in Kyiv, Ukrainian officials said Friday.
At least 39 were killed and more than 80 were injured when at least one Russian “Tochka-U” missile with cluster munition hit the main train
station in Kramatorsk, a city about 75 kilometres (47 miles) away from the separatist-held Donetsk, officials said.
The city has turned into an evacuation centre, offering a chance to about 8,000 people a day — mainly women and children — to flee Russia’s war, Mayor Oleksandr Honcharenko said. Photos released by Zelenskiy and the Defense Ministry showed victims lying scattered around among packed suitcases. The attack drew strong condemnation from Ukraine and the European Union.
“Having neither forces nor bravery to face us on the
battlefield, they are cynically destroying civilian population,” President Volodymyr Zelenskiy wrote on Facebook. Russia’s Defense Ministry denied responsibility for the attack, claiming that the type of missile found on the scene is used only by Ukrainian forces, Interfax
reported.
Several hours before the attack, Russian forces shelled the only government-held rail link from Kramatorsk to western parts of Ukraine, the regional railway said.
More than 200,000 residents of the Donestk region have used the railway for evacuation since the war started on February 24, regional government spokeswoman Tetyana Ihnatchenko told Ukraine 24 TV on Friday.
As the Russian offensive against Ukraine has stalled after six weeks of fighting, Vladimir Putin withdrew his troops from areas near Kyiv in a potential attempt to centre on occupying areas in the country’s south and east.
The EU strongly condemned the attack, with foreign policy chief Josep Borrell tweeting it was “yet another attempt to close escape routes for those fleeing this unjustified war and cause human suffering.”
Borrell and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen are visiting Kyiv on Friday to meet Zelenskiy.
Russian forces have fully withdrawn from northern Ukraine ahead of what’s expected to be a major offensive in the east. Nato warned
that the war may last for weeks, months or even years, as Ukraine’s foreign minister pleaded for urgent military
assistance.