Turkiye condemns deadly attack on Ukraine’s Kramatorsk city

By Mustafa Deveci

ANKARA (AA) - Turkiye on Friday condemned Friday’s deadly attack on a railway station in the Ukrainian city of Kramatorsk.

"We are deeply saddened to learn that dozens of people, who were awaiting to be evacuated, have lost their lives and injured as a result of the rocket strikes against the railway station of the city of Kramatorsk in eastern Ukraine," a Foreign Ministry statement said.

The ministry underlining that the attack “once again demonstrated the importance and urgency of establishing humanitarian corridors to ensure safe evacuation of civilians.”

"We hereby strongly reiterate our call for an end to this devastating war by immediately declaring a ceasefire," it added.

Earlier in the day, Ukrainian authorities blamed Russian forces for the attack that left at least 50 people dead.

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy described the attack as an "evil with no limits."

"Lacking the strength and courage to stand up to us on the battlefield, they are cynically destroying the civilian population. This is an evil that has no limits. And if it is not punished, it will never stop," Zelenskyy said in a social media statement.

However, the Kremlin has denied carrying out the attack.

Meanwhile, in a Twitter post, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said: "I strongly condemn this morning's indiscriminate attack against a train station in Kramatorsk by Russia, which killed dozens of people and left many more wounded. This is yet another attempt to close escape routes for those fleeing this unjustified war and cause human suffering," he said on Twitter.

Also, European Council President Charles Michel said it was "horrifying to see Russia strike one of the main stations used by civilians evacuating the region where Russia is stepping up its attack."

At least 1,626 civilians have been killed and 2,267 injured in Ukraine since the war began on Feb. 24, according to UN estimates, with the true figure feared to be far higher.

More than 4.3 million Ukrainians have fled to other countries, with millions more internally displaced, according to the UN refugee agency.