Russians Launched Three Shahed Drones at Passenger Train in Kharkiv Region

Russian troops struck a passenger train in the Kharkiv region, using three Shahed (Geran) kamikaze drones.

This was reported by the Minister of Community and Territorial Development of Ukraine, Oleksii Kuleba.

The train running between Barvinkove, Lviv, and Chop was attacked. The hits were recorded in front of the locomotive and in a passenger car, where a fire broke out as a result of the strike.

At the time of the attack, there were 291 passengers on the train. People were quickly evacuated.

According to Kuleba, two people were injured — they were taken out of the car by the train crew and handed over to medics. Both victims were hospitalized. According to local law enforcement, three people were killed.

Кацапи знищили цивільний потяг Укрзалізниці в якому я сьогодні їхав на Бомбас. Більше, ніж впевнений, що ці герані були керовані в режимі реального часу

Інстинктивно побіг з турнікетами до уражених вагонів, але там вже не було кому надавати допомогу

Кацапи – виблядки поголовно pic.twitter.com/N1B1Kwlzxy

— Юнкер (@junker_ukr) January 27, 2026

Reserve buses are being organized for the evacuated passengers, as well as transportation for people who were at stations waiting for return flights.

It can be assumed that the enemy used drones with remote control and video transmission systems for a targeted strike on a civilian facility and passengers.

Shahed drones with factory-installed optical systems appeared relatively recently — on December 20, when such UAVs were used during the attack on Odesa.

The drones were equipped with cameras before, but then it was done in a much more artisanal way — mostly by mechanically attaching the camera to the fuselage.

Judging by their appearance, these were ordinary video surveillance cameras with night mode.

Now, however, the Russian side has integrated an optical module directly into the drone, which has improved its aerodynamic characteristics and, presumably, expanded its tactical capabilities.

It is precisely this type of drone that could have been used for a targeted attack on a moving passenger train.