Russia has escalated its military campaign against Ukraine by launching systematic, long-range drone and missile strikes targeting the nation’s critical railway network, according to state railway officials.
Strikes Target Kyiv Depot and Railway Infrastructure
On Tuesday, a ballistic missile struck a locomotive depot in Kyiv, killing six employees of Ukraine’s state-owned railway company, Ukrzaliznytsia, according to the company’s chair, Oleksandr Pertsovsky. The attack formed part of a massive bombardment across Kyiv and the surrounding region that left at least 12 people dead and a dozen wounded, including three children. “An unbearably difficult night for the entire railway family,” Pertsovsky said, noting that rescue workers spent hours extinguishing fires at the heavily damaged site.
The violent escalation coincided with the start of the new school year for Ukrainian children. Ukrzaliznytsia reported that since Russia’s full-scale invasion began, 58 railway staff members have been killed and at least 318 injured. The company has faced continuous attacks, but executives note a distinct intensification in tactics as Moscow leverages its growing inventory of long-range weaponry.
Strategic Shift to Civilian Locomotives and Substations
According to Oleksandr Pertsovskyi, CEO of Ukrzaliznytsia, and Serhih Leshchenko, a member of the company’s supervisory board, Russian forces have shifted from targeting bridges and rails—which can be rapidly repaired—to systematically destroying electricity substations and hunting down individual civilian locomotives. Since the middle of summer, Russia has targeted railway infrastructure with an average of six to seven long-range Shahed kamikaze drones nearly every night.
“Their first aim is to sow panic among passengers, their second aim is to hit the overall economy,” Pertsovskyi told Reuters in an interview at Kyiv’s central station. Leshchenko noted that Russia has hit the network more than 1,500 times this year alone, damaging 492 locomotives and 249 carriages. Because Ukraine faces severe air defense shortages, train crews must evacuate whenever a drone approaches within 50 kilometers, leading to regular passenger delays lasting 12 to 15 hours.
The Economic and Logistical Backbone of Wartime Ukraine
Operating Europe’s third-largest railway network across 15,000 miles of track, Ukrzaliznytsia employs 170,000 workers and serves as the primary logistical supplier for Ukraine’s military and industry. President Joe Biden—into the capital.
Despite the persistent bombardment of five or six key rail hubs since the summer, railway operators maintain that military supply lines continue to function. Maintenance crews routinely switch from electric to diesel locomotives while restoring downed power lines, keeping the network operational through what officials describe as an ongoing marathon of strikes and rapid repairs.
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