Key facts
- Russia has damaged or destroyed over 200 railway locomotives in Ukraine since the start of 2026.
- Ukraine's Deputy Prime Minister for Restoration, Oleksiy Kuleba, reported the figures.
- Russia has conducted over 1,000 attacks on Ukrainian railway facilities in 2026.
- Two locomotives were damaged in the Dnipropetrovsk region on Friday evening.
- In 2025 and Q1 2026, 209 locomotives were damaged by Russian strikes, according to Ukrzaliznytsia.
- Ukrzaliznytsia has implemented enhanced security measures for trains.
Russia has intensified its attacks on Ukraine's railway infrastructure, specifically targeting locomotives, with over 200 units damaged or destroyed since the beginning of 2026, according to Ukraine's Deputy Prime Minister for Restoration, Oleksiy Kuleba. These attacks are part of Russia's strategic efforts to disrupt Ukraine's transportation capabilities.
Kuleba stated that Russia has attacked Ukrainian railway facilities more than 1,000 times this year. Two locomotives were damaged during a recent attack in the eastern Dnipropetrovsk region. The volume of repair work is increasing, requiring significant financial resources.
Ukrainian state railways operator Ukrzaliznytsia handles more than 90% of Ukraine's export shipments. Data from Ukrzaliznytsia indicates that in 2025 and the first quarter of 2026, Russian strikes damaged 209 locomotives, 239 passenger carriages, and 371 freight wagons, along with 86 railway bridges and 50 stations. In the past two months alone, Russia has conducted 352 strikes on railway infrastructure.
In response to an increase in attacks on passenger trains, Ukrzaliznytsia has implemented additional security measures, including stopping trains and evacuating passengers if aerial threats are detected. This has led to significant delays on some routes, with rail service on certain lines being replaced by buses in eastern and southern regions where fighting is intense.
Recent reports highlight the severity of these attacks, with a railway conductor, Olha Zolotova, being severely injured when her train was hit by a Russian drone. A second drone strike occurred as rescue workers attended to the injured, a tactic Ukraine suggests constitutes a possible war crime. Officials note that half of the attacks on railways since the war began have occurred in the past two months, with targeted strikes on infrastructure and power transmission facilities happening almost daily.