A woman woke up to someone touching her breasts on a night train to Kyiv

"Sorry, I wanted": a female passenger reported sexual harassment on the Odesa-Kyiv train, social media erupted over women-only compartments

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19 Jun 2026

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On the social network Threads a post by a passenger is being shared, in which she reported harassment on the Odesa-Kyiv train. According to her, the incident occurred at around 4 a.m. during the trip.

The woman wrote that she woke up to being touched on her chest. At first, she said, she thought she had imagined it. But then she saw a man next to her who, she said, was sitting above her.

The passenger claims that she turned away, but the man moved closer and again began touching her hand, trying to reach her breasts. Later she contacted the conductor. Separately, the woman wrote that the police refused to help her.

In the photos published with the post, a man whom the author links to the incident can be seen. At the same time, there is currently no official confirmation of his identity, the circumstances of the event, or the results of any check, so this is the passenger’s statement.

An important detail not to miss: according to the woman, after she asked him about it the man apologized. But that apology came with an explanation that caused particular outrage on social media.

When the passenger asked why he did it, the man, according to her, replied:

“sorry, I wanted to”

This phrase became one of the main triggers in the comments. People are outraged that unwanted actions against a woman are effectively explained by the words “I wanted to”, and then everything is reduced to an apology.

The woman also warned other passengers to be careful, noting that this man, according to her information, was supposed to travel back from Kyiv to Odesa.

In the screenshot circulating online, the story has generated significant resonance: 2.7K reactions, 717 comments, 128 reposts and 784 shares.

In the comments people immediately mentioned the discussion about women-only compartments and women-only carriages. For many, this story became an answer to the question of why such places are needed at all.

One user directly linked the incident to the need for women-only compartments.

“And then they ask why women’s compartments appeared. That’s why!”

Another commenter wrote almost the same, but about women-only carriages.

“And then: Why do you need women-only carriages?🤦”

A separate block of outrage concerned the conductor and the train crew’s reaction. People ask why in such situations the passenger has to fight for help herself instead of receiving it immediately.

One user addressed “Ukrzaliznytsia” with a question about when conductors will start reacting to such situations on trains instead of turning a blind eye.

“@ukrainianrailways you of course do a lot to help people, but when will your conductors start doing something about situations like this on trains, and not just close their eyes to it”

Separately, people discussed the war and its impact on mental health. One user wrote that during the war a large number of people may have experienced aggravated psychological problems, and society does not yet fully understand the scale of this.

Another commenter rejected attempts to explain everything solely by the war and wrote that such people existed even without the war.

“There are plenty of perverts even without the war. Such people also become rapists and sadists during the war.. Because that’s their nature.”

At the time of preparing the publication, no official reaction from “Ukrzaliznytsia” or the police regarding this specific incident was found in the public domain.

If the passenger’s claim about being refused by the police is confirmed, this is a separate matter for investigation. Reports of a possible criminal offense should not disappear at the level of an oral refusal. Especially when it concerns a woman’s statement about sexual actions without her consent.

In such situations, passengers should immediately contact the conductor and the train manager, call the police at 102, record the train number, carriage, seat, time of the incident, possible witnesses, and demand the official registration of the report.

This story again raises the painful issue of women’s safety on trains. A female passenger at night in a carriage should not be left alone with someone else’s behavior, and the conductor, train manager, police and Ukrzaliznytsia itself must act quickly and decisively.

Because “sorry, I wanted to” — that is not an explanation. And certainly not a reason to keep the incident quiet.