Additional Coverage:
Deadly Strike on Ukrainian Passenger Train Raises Questions About Russian Tactics and Starlink Use
Kyiv, Ukraine – A Russian drone strike tragically hit a Ukrainian passenger train in the eastern Kharkiv region on Tuesday, resulting in the deaths of at least five people, as confirmed by the Kharkiv Regional Prosecutor’s Office.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy swiftly condemned the attack, stating in a social media post, “In any country, a drone strike on a civilian train would be regarded in the same way – purely as an act of terrorism.”
Deputy Prime Minister Oleksiy Kuleba provided preliminary details, indicating that three Iranian-made Shahed attack drones were involved. These drones reportedly struck the engine and a passenger car, igniting a fire.
“There were 291 passengers on board. People were evacuated as quickly as possible,” Kuleba shared, echoing Zelenskyy’s sentiment in labeling the strike “a direct act of Russian terror against civilians.
No military target.”
While Russia’s government consistently denies targeting civilian infrastructure, there has been no specific response from the Kremlin or the Russian military regarding these allegations of deliberately striking a civilian train.
Russia’s Evolving Offensive and the Starlink Controversy
Recent months have seen an intensification of Russian strikes on Ukrainian civilians and critical infrastructure. Experts suggest that Russia has adapted its offensive capabilities to bypass Ukraine’s air defenses. Last year, the Ukraine Air War Monitor noted an 18% decrease in Ukraine’s drone interception rate.
Oleksii Balesta, Deputy Minister for Development of Communities and Territories of Ukraine, told CBS News on Wednesday that Russia is deploying larger drones in greater quantities, contributing to the increased lethality of their attacks.
However, a recent report from the Washington, D.C.-based Institute for the Study of War suggests another unsettling factor: Russia’s alleged use of Starlink satellite systems to achieve more accurate targeting.
This week, Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski publicly addressed this concern with Elon Musk, whose company SpaceX owns and operates the Starlink satellite network. In a post on Musk’s platform X, Sikorski implored the American businessman to “stop the Russians from using Starlinks to target Ukrainian cities.”
Musk, in turn, responded on X, referring to Sikorski as a “drooling imbecile” and asserting that Starlink’s terms of service “do not allow for offensive military use, as it is a civilian commercial system.” Musk also highlighted Ukraine’s own use of the Starlink system for military communications.
Two Ukrainian defense analysts have suggested that the train may have been hit by Shahed drones – a favored weapon of Russia in its ongoing full-scale invasion – potentially equipped with SpaceX technology.
“Russia has started using Starlink on other drones, and now is using it on Shaheds as well,” analyst Olena Kryzhanivska told CBS News on Wednesday. “The attack yesterday was not surprising at all. It was expected.”
Serhiy Beskrestnov, a Ukrainian military analyst and expert on drone warfare, stated in a social media post Wednesday that the moving train was struck by “Shaheds with online control.” Beskrestnov further noted, “It was not the locomotive, but the center of the train,” accusing the Russian drone’s pilot of attacking a passenger car “intentionally and consciously,” and specifically raising questions about the potential use of Starlink.
SpaceX has not yet responded to a request for comment from CBS News regarding claims that its Starlink technology may have been used in the drone strike on the train, or by Russian forces more broadly to target civilian infrastructure in Ukraine.
Kryzhanivska emphasized that trains present vulnerable targets for precision-guided Russian weapons. “The territory of Ukraine is not targeted evenly with air defense systems and mobile fire units,” Kryzhanivska explained.
“There is no protocol in place for what to do when there is a Shahed drone approaching a train. What can the crew do?
Should they stop the train? Or continue moving?”
Overall, at least 11 people were killed and dozens wounded in strikes across Ukraine overnight on Tuesday, which involved 165 Russian-launched drones, including those that hit the train in the Kharkiv region, according to Ukraine’s Air Force.