Glass crunched underfoot as the RFE/RL camera operator passed through the charred carriage. At the end of the corridor, twisted wreckage smoldered.
The Russian attack on a passenger train at Shostka, in northeastern Ukraine, on October 4, was the latest in a series of strikes at trains and rail infrastructure which have caused deaths, damage, and disruption.
"Russia's desire is obvious: to paralyze Ukrainian logistics, because a significant portion of cargo, including military cargo, uses rail transport," former Ukrainian Infrastructure Minister Volodymyr Omelyan said in an interview with RFE/RL’s Ukrainian Service.
“We have seen strikes on railway depots, and rolling stock has also been damaged. Railway substations are the target of constant attacks,” he added.
Russia’s New Target: Ukrainian Trains
Ukraine’s rail network, and keeping it running, have been a major source of national pride, economic necessity, humanitarian transport, and a critical lifeline in a war effort that has lasted almost four years.
Despite daily air attacks around the country by Russian drones and missiles, trains ferrying military equipment and troops, humanitarian missions to get food to war-torn regions, and cargo cars filled with grain and other exports to keep money flowing into Kyiv’s coffers have managed to run continuously.
An estimated 60-65 percent of the country’s economic output still moves via rail despite the perils brought about by the war. Even world leaders have taken to Ukrainian trains to meet officials in an area where air travel is impossible.
The strategic importance hasn’t been lost on Moscow’s military leadership.
A Systematic Campaign
Early on in the war, Ukraine’s railways were largely left alone. Analysts say Russia likely thought the war would be quick so there was no need to unnecessarily damage key infrastructure.
Russia did target Ukrainian railways at times, as witnessed by a deadly strike at Kramatorsk station in April 2022 that sparked global condemnation.
But this year, Ukrainian officials say it has become a systematic campaign.
Hours after the Shostka attack, Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko wrote on social media that “Russians have entered a new stage of barbarism” with repeated attacks since the summer.
“Over the past two months alone, 220 Russian strikes on railway infrastructure — including trains, stations, and electricity substations — have been recorded,” she wrote.
Railway hubs have become a particular target.
"There is a greater concentration of rolling stock at hub stations, and logistics are more complicated there - so hitting hub stations looks more attractive to the Russians,” said Omelyan.
The exact extent of the disruption is unclear. Svyrydenko said Ukraine’s state-owned rail company was adjusting routes in frontline regions and using replacement buses on others.
In fact, it has been doing so for some time.
'A Typical Night'
On September 17, for example, the Visit Ukraine tourism website noted “night shelling caused damage to the railway” causing changes on six major routes serving regional centers including Dnipro and Kherson.
That day, Ukrainian railways chief Oleksandr Pertsovsky noted on Facebook “a typical day – or rather night – for Ukrainian railways. The Dnipro line of the railway is hit and de-energized by a Russian drone attack.”
"Reserve locomotives are on standby, locomotive crews are leaving, they will help minimize delays and traditionally – get everyone to their destination!" Pertsovskyi added.
Nearly half of Ukraine’s network is electrified. But power outages make it impossible for electric locomotives to operate, and Ukraine has a limited and ageing stock of diesel-powered train engines.
Recognizing the importance to act quickly, Ukraine’s Budget Committee in August approved an expansion of a reserve fund that Pertsovskyi said allows the government to “swiftly fund critical repairs and make quick allocations to support Railways' operational needs.”
Russia’s attacks strike military and economic blows.
Military equipment is imported into Ukraine and transported within it by rail. This also applies to military vehicles. In parts of eastern Ukraine, where fighting is most intense, the roads are in such poor condition that rail connections are even more important to keep things moving.
The railways are used to transport metals and iron ore to the western border and to ports in the south. Freight trains also transport grain. All of these are strategic products, the export of which helps to sustain Ukraine’s war effort.
The campaign of strikes also make rail travel a risky undertaking for both ordinary Ukrainians and visiting Western politicians.
"This is terrorizing people. It causes constant disruptions to passenger traffic. And in addition to the attacks on cities, all this adds even more instability,” said Serhiy Vovk, head of the Center for Transport Strategies, a Kyiv-based consultancy.
“When a train is knocked off its schedule due to damage, it has a domino effect on other train routes, because the schedule is designed in such a way that trains do not stand idle for long,” he told RFE/RL.
On October 8, the impact of the relentless campaign continued.
Ukrainian railways reported “enemy attacks” had led to delays, cancellations, and route changes of numerous trains. The previous day, the regional military administration in Poltava said direct hits and falling debris had caused damage and fires on buildings and rolling stock.
