Donbas train attack shows 'Russia's brutality', says Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby

Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby said the missile attack at a Ukrainian train station on Friday is a "piece of Russian brutality" in this war.

"We find unconvincing Russian claims that they weren't involved," said Kirby.

"Particularly when the ministry actually announced it. And then when they saw reports of civilian casualties decided unannounce it. So our assessment is that that this was a Russian strike and that they used a short range ballistic missile to to conduct it."

Kirby's comments come after the missile hit a train station where thousands of Ukrainians had gathered, killing at least 50 and wounding dozens more in an attack on a crowd of mostly women and children trying to flee.

Photos from the station in Kramatorsk showed the dead covered with tarps on the ground and the remnants of a rocket with the words “For the children” painted on it in Russian.

About 4,000 civilians were in and around the station at the time of the strike, heeding calls to leave the area before fighting intensifies in the Donbas region, the office of Ukraine’s prosecutor-general said.

Kirby also spoke about intelligence the U.S is providing Ukraine to help them in the fight with Russia.

When asked if the U.S. expects Russia to lose the war, he said "we want the Ukrainians to win."

"We want to see Mr. Putin and the Russian Army lose this invasion, lose this fight inside Ukraine. It is Ukrainian territory, Ukrainian sovereignty. It's Ukrainian cities and lives that are being destroyed. And obviously we want to see that end and we want to see Ukraine whole again."