Russian Negotiators Reportedly Apologize After Deadly Train Strike in Kharkiv

Russian negotiators reportedly apologized privately to their Ukrainian counterparts after strikes on Odesa and a passenger train in the Kharkiv region killed six people.

The New York Times (NYT), citing a Ukrainian presidential office adviser, reported that the strikes occurred despite what the adviser described as an informal pause on attacks agreed during talks last weekend in Abu Dhabi.

The arrangement, characterized as a “gentlemen’s agreement,” was not put in writing and did not hold.

“After Russia launched drones and missiles at Odesa and at a passenger train on Tuesday… the Russian negotiators privately apologized,” the NYT wrote.

Following the attack, Russian negotiators reportedly told the Ukrainian side that not all branches of the Russian military had been informed about the pause.

Thus, on Jan. 27, Russia struck a passenger train operating on the Barvinkove-Lviv-Chop route in the Kharkiv region with drones.

Initial reports said the train was struck by three Shahed-type suicide drones.

One of the drones hit a carriage carrying 18 people, resulting in fatalities. Later that evening, authorities reported finding fragments of five bodies at the impact site. In total, 291 passengers were evacuated from the train, and two injured people were hospitalized.

In a post on X, President Volodymyr Zelensky called the strike an “act of terrorism” and said Russia must be held accountable.

“The Russians have significantly increased their capacity to kill, their capacity to terrorize. They are investing in the progress of terror,” he wrote.

On Jan. 28, however, the Kharkiv Regional Prosecutor’s Office said the death toll had risen to six.

The office said the recovered remains were sent for forensic examination, which determined they belonged to six victims. DNA samples will be taken from relatives to finalize identification and confirm the number of victims.

Russia has repeatedly targeted Ukraine’s railway infrastructure since the start of the full-scale invasion in 2022.

In October 2025, Russian missiles struck rail facilities in the northern regions of Sumy and Chernihiv in an apparent effort to disrupt links with frontline areas.

Deputy Prime Minister for Restoration Oleksiy Kuleba previously said such strikes are intended to complicate passenger and cargo transport, disrupt stable operations, and increase pressure on civilians and the economy.

As rumors of an energy truce swirl, Zelensky said on Friday that Russia did not hit energy facilities overnight, but that Ukraine is seeing a shift toward attacks on logistics infrastructure.

Meanwhile, the Kremlin said US President Donald Trump personally asked Russian leader Vladimir Putin to pause strikes on Kyiv until Feb. 1 to support negotiations, though it is unclear whether Putin agreed. Trump said Putin had agreed to a one-week halt on strikes on Kyiv and other cities.

However, Ukraine is bracing for an extreme cold snap starting Feb. 1, with temperatures expected to fall to -30 °C (-22 °F) in some areas – meaning the proposed timeline would have little impact on the well-being of Ukrainian civilians.

Reports of a pause first appeared via pro-Kremlin and Ukrainian bloggers mentioning temporary limits on strikes against Kyiv and energy sites.

Zelensky stressed there is no ceasefire or formal deal. Ukraine is ready to hold off on energy strikes if Russia does the same, he said, adding Ukraine would act “mirror-like” and that the outcome depends on Moscow.