KYIV, Ukraine -- Russian forces Wednesday launched a rocket attack on a Ukrainian train station on the embattled country's Independence Day, killing 22 people, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said after warning for days that Moscow might attempt "something particularly cruel" this week.
The lethal attack took place in Chaplyne, a town of about 3,500 people in the central Dnipropetrovsk region, Ukrainian news agencies quoted Zelenskyy as telling the U.N. Security Council via video. The president's office also reported that an 11-year-old child was killed by rocket fire earlier in the day in the settlement.
"Chaplyne is our pain today," Zelenskyy said in his nightly video address to the nation.
The deputy head of Zelenskyy's office said 22 people were wounded in the attack, which hit five passenger rail cars.
Also Wednesday, Western leaders pledged unwavering support for Ukraine as the war-ravaged country marked not only its independence but the six-month milestone of Russia's invasion. They paid tribute to the sacrifices and courage of the Ukrainian people, voiced their resolve to keep supplying it with weapons and reviled Moscow for its attack on its neighbor.
Ukraine had been bracing for especially heavy attacks around the national holiday that commemorates Ukraine's declaration of independence from the Soviet Union in 1991. Kyiv authorities had banned large gatherings in the capital through today for fear of missile strikes.
Residents of Kyiv, which has been largely spared in recent months, woke up Wednesday to air raid sirens, but no immediate strikes followed. As the day wore on, Russian bombardments were reported in the country's east, west and center, with the most serious attack apparently at the train station.
Outgoing British Prime Minister Boris Johnson marked the day with a visit to Kyiv, his third since Ukraine became locked in a battle that was widely expected to be a lightning conquest by Moscow but has turned into a grinding war of attrition.
President Joe Biden announced a new military aid package of nearly $3 billion to help Ukrainian forces fight for years to come. He noted that the anniversary was "bittersweet" for many Ukrainians, as they continue to suffer but take pride in withstanding Russia's relentless attacks.
Over the weekend, Zelenskyy cautioned that Russia "may try to do something particularly nasty, something particularly cruel" this week. He repeated the warnings ahead of the train station attack, saying, "Russian provocations and brutal strikes are a possibility."
Nevertheless, a festive atmosphere prevailed during the day at Kyiv's Maidan square as thousands of residents posed for pictures next to burned-out Russian tanks put on display. Folk singers set up, and many revelers -- ignoring the sirens -- were out and about in traditionally embroidered dresses and shirts.
Others were fearful.
"I can't sleep at night because of what I see and hear about what is being done in Ukraine," said a retiree who gave only her first name, Tetyana, her voice shaking with emotion. "This is not a war. It is the destruction of the Ukrainian people."
NEGOTIATING WITH A BEAR
In a holiday message to the country, Zelenskyy exulted over Ukraine's success in fending off Moscow's forces, saying: "On Feb. 24, we were told: You have no chance. On Aug. 24, we say: Happy Independence Day, Ukraine!"
Johnson urged Western allies to stand by Ukraine through the winter.
"This is not the time to put forward flimsy negotiating proposals," he said. "You can't negotiate with a bear when it's eating your leg or with a street robber when he has you pinned to the floor."
Russian President Vladimir Putin's forces have encountered unexpectedly stiff resistance in their invasion and abandoned their effort to storm the capital in the spring. The fighting has turned into a slog that has reduced neighborhoods to rubble and sent shock waves through the world economy.
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, speaking Wednesday at a meeting of his counterparts from a security organization dominated by Russia and China, claimed the slow pace of Moscow's military action was the result of what he called an effort to spare civilians. However, Russian forces have repeatedly targeted civilian areas in cities, including hospitals and a Mariupol theater where hundreds of people were taking shelter.
But Shoigu said Russia is carrying out strikes with precision weapons against Ukrainian military targets, and "everything is done to avoid civilian casualties."
"Undoubtedly, it slows down the pace of the offensive, but we do it deliberately," he said.
Russian forces struck several towns and villages in Donetsk province in the east over 24 hours, killing one person, authorities said. A building materials superstore in Donetsk was hit by a shell and broke out in flames, the mayor said. There were no immediate reports of any injuries.
In the Dnipropetrovsk region, the Russians again shelled Nikopol and Marhanets, damaging several buildings and wounding people, authorities said. Russian troops also shelled Zaporizhzhia, but no casualties were reported.
In addition, Russian rockets struck unspecified targets in the Khmelnytskyi region, about 180 miles west of Kyiv, the regional governor said. Attacks there have been infrequent.
SHOWS OF SOLIDARITY
In Britain, floral and musical tributes punctuated a show of solidarity. The U.K. Ministry of Defense tweeted a video of the Scots Guards Band, which usually provides musical accompaniment for the Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace, performing Ukraine's winning Eurovision Song Contest entry, "Stefania."
An arch of sunflowers -- Ukraine's national flower -- decorated the entrance to the British prime minister's Downing Street office.
Brussels also chose to dress up for the occasion. The Belgian city, which is home to the European Union's institutions, decked itself out in the colors of the Ukrainian national flag. A giant Ukrainian flag was unfurled in the capital's historic Grand Place.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said in a video posted on Twitter that "our hearts go out to those who pay for the Russian war terror with their lives day after day, who are maimed and wounded."
"We mourn with those who have lost friends or family members, who have had to flee, have been taken from their beloved homeland or by Russian occupiers, who have lost their belongings to Russian bombs, rockets and artillery shells," the chancellor said.
Scholz had harsh words for Russia, rebuking the Kremlin for its "backward imperialism," and stressed that Ukraine "will drive away the dark shadow of war because it is strong and brave, because it has friends in Europe and all over the world."
French President Emmanuel Macron, in a video message bookended with phrases he spoke in Ukrainian, said the defense of Ukraine meant "refusing to allow international relations to be ruled by violence and chaos."
He said Ukraine's Independence Day "is a day of pride. But in the place of legitimate festivities, we are thinking of the dead and the fighters today, of the courage and resilience of your people."
Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin adopted a similar tone, calling Ukrainians "brave and unyielding." She added: "We stand with you. We won't look away."
Ukraine offers a lesson that "freedom and democracy will always win out over coercion and violence," said Spain's prime minister, Pedro Sanchez.
Pope Francis marked the half-year anniversary of the invasion by decrying the "insanity" of war and lamenting that innocents on both sides were paying the price.
The pontiff warned about the risk of nuclear disaster in Ukraine, a reference to the shelling of the Russian-occupied Zaporizhhia nuclear power plant. He also lashed out at those who were profiting from the war, especially weapons manufacturers.
Francis has stepped up his denunciations of the war, though he rarely blames Russia or Putin by name, evidence that the Vatican is trying to keep dialogue open with Moscow.
In Poland's capital, Warsaw, a few dozen Ukrainians, mostly women and children, gathered before a Ukraine community center and sang the national anthem. Many were dressed in embroidered folk shirts.
Scores of people, including Portuguese politicians, attended a gathering in Lisbon, Portugal, by the city's statue of Taras Shevchenko, Ukraine's preeminent poet of the 19th century and a symbol of national renaissance.
In Madrid, the 18th-century Cibeles fountain, a city landmark, was to be lit up with the Ukrainian colors after sunset.
Information for this article was contributed by Derek Gatopoulos, Inna Varenytsia, Hanna Arhirova, Lolita C. Baldor, Matthew Lee and additional staff members of The Associated Press.
The sun sets behind the Independence Monument overlooking Maidan Square on the country's National Flag Day, Tuesday, Aug. 23, 2022, in Kyiv, Ukraine. Kyiv authorities have banned mass gatherings in the capital through Thursday for fear of Russian missile attacks. Independence Day, like the six-month mark in the war, falls on Wednesday. (AP Photo/David Goldman)
In this handout photo taken from video released by Russian Defense Ministry Press Service on Wednesday, Aug. 24, 2022, a Russian Mi-28 anti-armor attack helicopter fires rockets on a mission at an undisclosed location in Ukraine. (Russian Defense Ministry Press Service via AP)
Destroyed Russian military vehicles installed in downtown Kyiv, Ukraine, Wednesday, Aug. 24, 2022. Kyiv authorities have banned mass gatherings in the capital through Thursday for fear of Russian missile attacks. Independence Day, like the six-month mark in the war, falls on Wednesday. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
A view of destroyed Russian military vehicles installed in downtown Kyiv, Ukraine, Wednesday, Aug. 24, 2022. Kyiv authorities have banned mass gatherings in the capital through Thursday for fear of Russian missile attacks. Independence Day, like the six-month mark in the war, falls on Wednesday. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
A girl poses for a picture as she holds a Ukrainian flag, on the country's Independence Day, in Kyiv, Ukraine, Wednesday, Aug. 24, 2022. Wednesday's holiday commemorates Ukraine's 1991 declaration of independence from the Soviet Union. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy urged the public to be vigilant for fear that Russia may mark the holiday, the six-month point in the war, by intensifying its attacks. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)
Holding Ukrainian flags people walk past Soviet-era monument, on the country's Independence Day, in Kyiv, Ukraine, Wednesday, Aug. 24, 2022. Wednesday's holiday commemorates Ukraine's 1991 declaration of independence from the Soviet Union. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy urged the public to be vigilant for fear that Russia may mark the holiday, the six-month point in the war, by intensifying its attacks. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)
People walk around destroyed Russian military vehicles installed in downtown Kyiv, Ukraine, Wednesday, Aug. 24, 2022. Kyiv authorities have banned mass gatherings in the capital through Thursday for fear of Russian missile attacks. Independence Day, like the six-month mark in the war, falls on Wednesday. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
Wearing a Ukrainian flag a youth lies on a bench, on the country's Independence Day, in Kyiv, Ukraine, Wednesday, Aug. 24, 2022. Wednesday's holiday commemorates Ukraine's 1991 declaration of independence from the Soviet Union. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy urged the public to be vigilant for fear that Russia may mark the holiday, the six-month point in the war, by intensifying its attacks. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)
Ukrainian soldiers fire an anti-aircraft gun at Russian forces early Wednesday from their position in the Kharkiv region of Ukraine. (AP/Andrii Marienko)
A Ukrainian woman drapes herself in Ukraine’s national flag Wednesday atop a captured Russian tank in Maidan Square in central Kyiv as she celebrates Independence Day. (The New York Times/Lynsey Addario)Gallery: Celebrating Ukraine's independence
