At least 22 people have been killed and 50 injured in a rocket attack on a train in central Ukraine.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has confirmed Russia has carried out one of its deadliest single attacks in recent months after missiles hit the train west of Dnipro.

“Rescuers are working,” he said. “But unfortunately, the number of dead may increase.”

The nation’s rail network has played a crucial role in its defence against Russian forces, helping civilians flee the conflict and carrying more than 100,000 tonnes of humanitarian aid.

The Ukrainian leader had earlier warned of renewed attacks on civilian targets as his country marked its Independence Day, six months since the invasion began.

He earlier welcomed Boris Johnson to Kyiv, for his final appearance there as British Prime Minister, who reaffirmed that his country “will continue to stand with our Ukrainian friends”.

What happens in Ukraine matters to us all.

That is why I am in Kyiv today.

That is why the UK will continue to stand with our Ukrainian friends.

I believe Ukraine can and will win this war. pic.twitter.com/FIovnqJGTS

— Boris Johnson (@BorisJohnson) August 24, 2022

Image: Alexey Furman/Getty Images