Ukrainian drone strike on Crimea train kills crew member

A Ukrainian drone strike on a passenger train in Crimea early Monday killed one crew member and injured another, leading to the suspension of rail service and the evacuation of passengers across the peninsula. The attack marks a significant escalation in targeting civilian transport infrastructure at the start of the region's summer tourist season.

According to Sergei Aksyonov, the Russian-installed governor of Crimea, the drone hit the locomotive of train No. 68 traveling from Moscow to Simferopol. The assistant driver was killed and the train driver was injured. No passengers were harmed. Following the attack, the rail operator Grand Service Express suspended the Moscow-Simferopol service and evacuated passengers from multiple trains, including services from St. Petersburg, to Simferopol by bus. Local authorities pledged to provide all necessary assistance.

The strike occurred amid a series of Ukrainian drone attacks on Russian territory over recent days. Overnight, Russian air defenses reportedly repelled drones targeting energy infrastructure in the Volgograd region, where falling debris sparked a fire at a pipeline pumping station. Authorities also reported a drone attack...