Zelenskyy condemns 'terrorism' after Russia hits train

A drone struck a train carriage carrying nearly 200 passengers in Ukraine, in an attack authorities blamed on Russia.

Russia targeted a passenger train in the Kharkiv region of eastern Ukraine killing five people, authorities said.

A Russian drone hit a carriage carrying nearly 200 passengers, Ukraine's Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko wrote on social media.

The train strike occurred just hours after drones pounded the southern city of Odesa, killing three people and wounding ⁠25 

Russia has intensified attacks on energy infrastructure, leaving Ukrainians without power in freezing temperatures.

In Kyiv, more than 700,000 residents are facing power outages after Moscow's attack on the capital last week, according to Energy Minister Denys Shmyhal.

Tuesday's strike on the train came days after negotiators from both countries held peace talks aimed at ending the nearly four-year-long war.

What did Zelenskyy say?

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy condemned the attack, calling it terrorism.

"There is not and cannot be any military justification for killing civilians in a train carriage," Zelenskyy said on social media.

He added the strikes undermined peace efforts and urged allies to step up pressure on Moscow to end the war.

"Every such Russian strike erodes the diplomacy that is still ongoing and undermines the efforts of partners who are helping to end this war," he said. 

Edited by: Louis Oelofse