A Russian strike on a train station in Kramatorsk, which had been a main point of evacuation for thousands of people trying to flee the embattled eastern regions of Ukraine, left “dozens” dead and injured on Friday morning, according to the governor of the Donetsk region.
“Thousands of people were at the station during the missile strike, as residents of Donetsk region are being evacuated to safer regions of Ukraine,” the governor, Pavlo Kyrylenko, said in a statement posted to the Telegram social media app.
Mr. Kyrylenko shared a jarring photo that showed a number of dead and potentially wounded people lying on the ground, with blood visible, surrounded by luggage and some debris. In another photo the governor shared, the distinctive exterior of the Kramatorsk station was visible, with smoke rising from it, and what appeared to be bags and debris.
The head of Ukrainian Railways, Alexander Kamishin, shared additional images and video that tallied with Mr. Kyrylenko’s posts from the scene. He said that as a result of shelling, at least 30 were dead and more than 100 were wounded.
Regional and national officials had been urging civilians to flee cities and towns in the Donetsk and neighboring Luhansk regions as they braced for a scaling up of the Russian offensive in eastern Ukraine after Russian forces withdrew from the north of the country.
Photos taken at Kramatorsk station in recent days had shown people cramming on to platforms as they awaited trains that would take them to safer areas in Ukraine’s west.
