AT least four people have been killed and two more injured in a Russian drone strike on a train – marking Vladimir Putin’s latest barbaric attack on Ukraine.
Terrifying footage showed the aftermath of the deadly blitz which targeted more than 200 civilian passengers onboard a train in Kharkiv.
It is understood that Putin launched three devastating Shahed drones at the train – which was travelling from Chop to Barvinkove.
Two drones struck the train’s side and a third directly hit one of the carriages.
Emergency services rushed to the scene of the horrific assault, with buses also scrambled to collect stranded passengers.
Volodymyr Zelensky called the deadly blitz “an act of terrorism”.
The Ukrainian president said: “Today, Russia struck a passenger train in the Kharkiv region with attack drones.
“In any country, a drone strike on a civilian train would be regarded in the same way – purely as an act of terrorism.”
Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Oleksiy Kuleba branded the attack as a “direct act of Russian terror.”
Russia also hammered the southern city of Odesa over Monday night – killing at least three people and wounding 25 others.
It comes as Mad Vlad continues to wage his ruthless war on Ukraine – showing no interest in peace despite crunch talks taking place last week.
The Russian tyrant has intensified his drone and missile attacks – especially targeting energy infrastructure as Ukraine battles a particularly harsh winter.
Millions have been left without electricity, gas or hot water due to the inhumane assaults – as the country faces freezing subzero temperatures.
Diplomats from the US, Ukraine and Russia met in Abu Dhabi for negotiations last weekend – but failed to reach a breakthrough.
Despite this, an American plan to guarantee Ukraine’s security is “100 per cent” ready to be signed, Zelensky says.
The Ukrainian leader said on Monday he is waiting for a time and a place to sign the US documents, which would be a major step to end Putin’s bloody war.
Zelensky said: “For us, security guarantees are first and foremost guarantees of security from the United States.”
“The document is 100 per cent ready, and we are waiting for our partners to confirm the date and place when we will sign it.”
Moscow launched a ferocious overnight assault immediately after negotiations ended, killing at least one person and leaving millions without power.
Targeting central heating and electricity grids, countless civilians were left without heating amid the blistering subzero cold.
Putin launched over 370 attack drones and 21 missiles of various types, Zelensky said.
On Friday and Saturday, representatives gathered in the UAE for peace negotiations, with American officials hinting that a summit between the two leaders could now be on the cards after discussions went “better than expected”.
The Kremlin said the talks were held in a “constructive spirit” but that there was still “significant work ahead”.
“It would be a mistake to expect any significant results from the initial contacts… But the very fact that these contacts have begun in a constructive spirit can be viewed positively. However, there is significant work ahead,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told journalists.
The Russian delegation was led by Putin’s trusted GRU military intelligence chief, Admiral Igor Kostyukov.
Ukraine was represented by Zelensky’s chief of staff, Kyrylo Budanov, the former head of Kyiv’s GUR military intelligence.
The US team included Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff and the president’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner.
Russian and Ukrainian negotiators are last known to have met face-to-face in Istanbul last summer, in talks that ended only in deals to exchange captured soldiers.
The Abu Dhabi meeting was the first time they have faced each other to talk about Trump’s plan.
Ukraine’s Donbas region continues to be a major sticking point preventing any breakthrough taking place in peace talks.
Zelensky has repeatedly said he will not surrender his territory, warning it could become a launchpad for future Russian assaults.
Donbas is Ukraine’s industrial heartland and is rich in strategic minerals including lithium, uranium, titanium and rare earths.
Meanwhile, Putin has been clear that he wants the entire region, which Ukraine still partially controls and has defended at great military loss since the start of the full-scale invasion.
A US-backed proposal would see the region turned into a demilitarised free economic zone in exchange for security guarantees for Ukraine, but Moscow is widely expected to reject the idea.
