Ukraine's Railways Face Escalating Russian Drone Attacks

Ukraine's railway network, a vital lifeline since Russia's full-scale invasion, is experiencing a significant escalation in drone attacks, leading to passenger fear and widespread disruptions. According to the state-owned operator Ukrzaliznytsia, more than half of all drone strikes on locomotives since the invasion began have occurred this year alone.

Passengers are increasingly finding their journeys interrupted by air raid alerts, triggering emergency evacuations even far from front lines. Yuliia Ponomarenko, a marketing specialist, described her experience last month when a drone strike near the Ukraine-Poland border forced her train to halt for six hours. "We were really lucky that we were delayed a little and it wasn't our train," she said.

In September alone, 5,831 trains were evacuated due to Russian drone attacks, averaging 205 stops per day. This appears to be part of a broader assault on Ukraine's infrastructure, with recent attacks also targeting bridges in Kyiv.

Anastasiia Ryvbalchenko, 17, recounted a harrowing experience on September 16, where she and other passengers were evacuated from their train at 4 a.m. An hour and a half later, a drone strike occurred nearby, prompting passengers to flee into the woods. "I'm not going to travel by train anymore," she stated.

Ukrzaliznytsia CEO Oleksandr Pertsovskyi acknowledged the challenge, noting that "the latest wave of escalation and real war with railways is becoming extremely intense." He described Russia's drones as equipped with AI tools and image recognition, enabling them to hit moving targets. "Unfortunately, this is always a cat-and-mouse game," Pertsovskyi said.

Despite the dangers, the company operates from an underground "Iron Command Centre" in Kyiv, monitoring train movements and threats in real time. When a drone is detected within a 100km radius of a passenger train, evacuations are initiated, and passengers are not allowed to reboard until the threat has passed. "Our mission is not to let our train or our crew members be in that immediate attack area," Pertsovskyi emphasized.

Attacks on Ukrzaliznytsia's rolling stock and stations have risen sharply. Of the 521 locomotives hit since the invasion, nearly 60% were targeted this year. Overall attacks on railway facilities increased from 1,206 in 2025 to 1,700 so far this year. The company reported eight employee deaths this year, six of whom were killed when a missile struck a locomotive depot in Kyiv.

As winter approaches, Ukrzaliznytsia is preparing for further challenges, including evacuations in sub-zero temperatures. The company is working with international donors to prepare winter evacuation packs, mobile shelters, and bus services for areas experiencing frequent disruptions. "We might be a slightly different railway, a reinvented railway," Pertsovskyi said. "But we'll keep connecting the country, no matter what, be it winter, be it summer, no matter how hard the enemy hits us."