Russia Targeting Ukraine’s Rail Lifeline with ‘Systematic’ Attacks, CEO Says

Russia has unleashed a major wave of strikes against Ukraine’s railways since the summer, deploying long-range drones to hit key nodes in a new tactic. Yet, the network remains operational for now, the head of the state railway company told Reuters.

Speaking from a rail carriage at Kyiv’s central station, CEO Oleksandr Pertsovskyi said:
“Their first goal is to spread panic among passengers, and their second is to damage the broader economy. These are, in short, attacks on civilian infrastructure.”

Intensified Strikes on the Rail Network

Ukrzaliznytsia, the vast state-owned company employing 170,000 people, has been a constant target since Russia’s full-scale invasion began more than two and a half years ago. But attacks have intensified in recent months, leading to frequent delays.

Since February 2022, the railway has been Ukraine’s lifeline, vital for both domestic and international travel after all civilian flights were grounded. Trains have carried world leaders into wartime Ukraine—from French President Emmanuel Macron and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to former U.S. President Joe Biden.

The company’s popular sleeper trains, long seen as a reliable way to cover hundreds of miles overnight, now often face hours-long delays due to strikes. The network is also critical for moving military hardware and commercial goods, though freight volumes have fallen sharply during the war, hitting the firm’s finances.

Pertsovskyi linked the escalation to a surge in production of long-range drones by Russia’s military-industrial complex.
“Before, they didn’t have the resources to use a combat drone like a Shahed to track a single locomotive. Now they can target individual locomotives rather than just strategic sites.”

Quick Recovery—But at a Price

So far, the railway has managed to recover from each blow. Train operations are typically disrupted for six to twelve hours after an attack, with diesel engines temporarily replacing electric ones until power is restored.

“The disruption has been kept to a minimum, and military shipments have not been affected,” he said. “It’s a marathon: they hit us, we recover. They hit us again, we recover.”

Since mid-summer, Russia has been launching an average of six to seven Shahed kamikaze drones most nights against power substations and other infrastructure, he added.
“They are working systematically—knocking out one substation or major hub after another to halt passenger trains and spread fear and distrust.”

Five or six major hubs have been bombed in recent months, he said. Reuters could not independently verify the reports, and Russia denies targeting civilians.

Sabotage and Soaring Costs

The railways also face sabotage from Russian-recruited agents inside Ukraine. Security services regularly announce arrests of people accused of plotting to blow up weak points in the network.
“That’s less of a threat than air strikes, but sabotage incidents are rising, with dozens of cases this year,” Pertsovskyi said.

Switching to diesel comes at a steep cost: running a diesel locomotive is about five times more expensive per kilometer than an electric one—a major burden for a company already under financial strain.

According to the World Bank, around 30% of Ukraine’s railways are now in a “damage-repair” cycle. Russian forces have repeatedly targeted bridges, which have each time been rebuilt. For security reasons, Pertsovskyi declined to specify which bridges were repaired but vowed that repair efforts would continue.

“If we slow down and let the enemy keep striking and destroying, they’ll only be drawn more to the scent of blood,” he said.