Dead and Wounded Everywhere: Russian Missile Strike on Dnipro Kills 18, Injures Nearly 300

At least 18 people were killed and nearly 300 injured in a Russian missile attack on the central Ukrainian city of Dnipro on June 24, which also struck the nearby town of Samarske. The assault targeted civilian infrastructure, including a passenger train, and sparked widespread fires and destruction across multiple locations in the Dnipropetrovsk region.

The regional governor, Serhii Lysak, confirmed that among the sites hit in Dnipro were a dormitory, a gymnasium, and an administrative building. A blaze broke out following the impact of the missiles, and search and rescue efforts continued late into the day. Casualties were reported both in Dnipro and Samarske, where two people were killed and 14 others injured. Of those wounded in Samarske, eight required hospitalization, with four in critical condition.

President Volodymyr Zelensky acknowledged the devastation in a social media statement, reporting that at least 11 people had died and more than 160 were injured by early afternoon. He cautioned that as emergency crews continued to clear rubble from the strike zones, the number of victims could still rise. That warning proved prescient - by 8:30 p.m. local time, the death toll had increased to 17, with the number of injured climbing to 279, including 27 children.

The following morning, on June 25, authorities confirmed that the number of fatalities had risen to 18. Nearly 100 of the injured remained in hospital care, according to Lysak’s latest update.

The national railway operator, Ukrzaliznytsia, reported that a train traveling from Odesa to Zaporizhzhia was damaged in the assault. The company acted quickly to organize a replacement train from Dnipro to ensure the evacuation of passengers to their intended destination. Ukrzaliznytsia later clarified that no passengers or crew had been killed in the attack, though some had sustained injuries and were receiving treatment.

The missile strike occurred as NATO leaders were gathering for a key summit in The Hague. In remarks made a day earlier, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte had warned that Russia continues to pose the most immediate and enduring threat to the alliance - a statement that took on new urgency in the wake of the attack.

Sources:

• RBC-Ukraine
• The Kyiv Independent