Nfter its Independence Day, Ukraine is mourning the many deaths in a Russian missile attack on a passenger train. President Volodymyr Zelenskyj spoke of at least 22 dead late Wednesday evening. The train was hit near the town of Chaplyne in the central Ukrainian region of Dnipropetrovsk. “Chaplyne is our pain today,” said Selenskyj. As previously feared, there were heavy Russian attacks with rockets and cruise missiles in other parts of the country on the holiday, a symbolic date six months after the start of the war.
Ukraine celebrated the 31st anniversary of its independence from the Soviet Union on Wednesday. On that historic date, the United States pledged $3 billion in military aid to Ukraine. The package is intended to defend Ukraine and modernize its army. US President Joe Biden wants to discuss details in a phone call with Zelenskyj on Thursday. For Ukraine it is the 183rd day of the war.
Zelenskyj: Ukraine will exist forever
“Our independence does not end and will never end,” Zelenskyy said in his video address on Wednesday evening. Despite the threatening situation, there will also be a 32nd Independence Day and a 33rd and all following. “Ukraine will last forever.”
In view of the risk of Russian attacks, the usual military parades on the holiday had been canceled. Instead, destroyed Russian tanks and other captured war equipment were displayed on the main street Khreshchatyk in Kyiv. Many Ukrainians watched it. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson came to Kyiv for his third wartime visit. Thousands of people in German cities and many other places around the world also showed solidarity with the attacked country.
Even though Russia tried to prevent it with an application, Zelenskyj spoke to the UN Security Council in New York on Wednesday via video link. He stressed the global importance of countering the Russian invasion. “Today our country celebrates Independence Day, and now everyone can see how much the world depends on our independence,” said Zelenskyy. If Russia is not stopped now, “Russian killers are likely to end up in other countries – in Europe, Asia, Africa, Latin America”.
First attack on a passenger train
In the six months since the invasion of Ukraine, Russian troops have often shelled railroad facilities to cut off Ukrainian supply routes. In April, a rocket hit the Kramatorsk station forecourt in the Donbass, according to Ukrainian sources, killing 57 people. At Tschaplyne, however, a passenger train was hit for the first time. The first images that have not yet been verified showed several burned-out wagons on a railway embankment. Among the 22 dead, Zelenskyj also counted five victims who had died in a car near the tracks.
