Nineteen-year-old attendant Ilona Vovk killed during evacuation passengers on Odesa railway
A 19-year-old train attendant, Ilona Vovk, died on the Odesa railway during a train stop; another passenger was injured, press service for Ukrzaliznytsia (Ukrainian Railways) reported.
Ilona VovkThe Russian military attacked the locomotive of a commuter train on the Prydniprovska railway on March 22, 2026. While the passengers were being evacuated, the train attendant sustained fatal injuries when she was struck by an oncoming train.
“Evacuation in response to a drone threat for passenger trains saves lives, but at the same time may pose critical danger in the event of even the slightest carelessness. Sadly, today we also have an extremely tragic case: on the Odesa railway, while a train was stopped and passengers were being evacuated, a train attendant was fatally injured by an oncoming train that was also heading to its stop for evacuation. In addition, one of the passengers sustained injuries of moderate severity,” the statement reads.
Oleksandr Pertsovskyi, Chairman of the Board of the Ukrzaliznytsia company, reported that Ilona Vovk, having recently completed an internship in Germany, was just beginning her first independent trips with Ukrzaliznytsia.
“This 19-year-old girl was only just starting her journey as a conductor. She dreamed of a career on the railway and was proud to have been selected for an internship in Germany. She was full of energy and passion for her work,” Pertsovskyi noted.
During a train stop triggered by a drone threat, Ilona was assisting with passenger evacuation when she was fatally struck by an oncoming train.
“Railway safety rules are written in blood. Tragically, we are writing the wartime rules of the railway every day with names, smiles, and dreams that we lose forever. It is a painful price to keep the country moving,” Pertsovskyi added.
An investigation into the incident is ongoing.
