Russian drone strikes intensify, crippling Ukraine's passenger rail network

Ukrzaliznytsia, Ukraine’s state-run railway, says Russian drone attacks have sharply increased, accounting for almost 60% of the 521 locomotives hit since the war began. In September, 5,831 trains were forced to stop, averaging 205 daily evacuations, as drones with AI-enabled cameras target moving rail traffic. Passengers such as Yuliia Ponomarenko, traveling to Warsaw, and 17-year-old Anastasiia Ryvbalchenko describe abrupt border alerts, six-hour delays and night-time evacuations into nearby woods.

Oleksandr Pertsovskyi stresses that passenger and crew safety now outweigh the company’s historic punctuality record. While Russia’s defence ministry says it targets only military supply lines, the railway reports rising casualties among staff and prepares winter shelters and bus replacements to cope with the ongoing threat.