Russian drone strikes hit a passenger bus near the frontline city of Nikopol and a train in southern Ukraine’s Mykolaiv region on Wednesday, September 16, 2026, killing five people and injuring seven others, Ukrainian officials reported.
The bus attack near Nikopol resulted in the deaths of four men and one woman, with seven people wounded according to Oleksandr Hanzha, governor of Dnipropetrovsk region. The train targeted by a drone in Mykolaiv was carrying 168 passengers and crew, all of whom were evacuated without injury. Acting Mykolaiv regional governor Heorhii Reshetilov said the train was subjected to two additional drone strikes
following the initial attack. A locomotive in Kovel near the Ukraine-Poland border was also struck on the same day.
[[SECTION_HEADING]]Escalating Attacks on Ukrainian Railways[[/SECTION_HEADING]
Russia intensified its attacks on Ukraine’s rail infrastructure in 2026, targeting 120 passenger wagons, 304 locomotives, and 43 railway stations so far this year, according to Ukrainian Railways. In total, 1,700 railway facilities have been attacked since the start of 2026, a sharp increase from 1,206 in 2025 and 842 in 2024. These attacks form part of Moscow’s strategy to disrupt Ukraine’s logistics and damage civilian morale.
[[SECTION_HEADING]]Ukrainian Government Response[[/SECTION_HEADING]
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy condemned the strikes
as “another act of brutality” lacking any military justification and called on Western allies to increase sanctions against Russia. Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha described the attacks as systematic targeting of civilian transport and infrastructure crucial for evacuations and Ukraine’s economy. He stated, “This is not collateral damage. It is a systematic hunt for people and an attempt to paralyze civilian life.”
[[SECTION_HEADING]]Context of the Conflict and Rail Importance[[/SECTION_HEADING]
Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Ukraine’s airspace has remained closed, making ground transport via buses and trains essential for civilian travel and goods movement. The repeated drone assaults on
passenger rail and road vehicles reflect a deliberate effort by Moscow to undermine these critical transport links. Ukrainian authorities warn that these operations severely impact civilian evacuations and economic activity.
[[SECTION_HEADING]]Recent Attacks Near Poland Border[[/SECTION_HEADING]
Earlier this month, a separate drone strike targeted a train near Ukraine’s border with NATO-member Poland shortly after European diplomats traveled the same route. The attack escalates security concerns for rail services along western routes used for both civilian and diplomatic transit. The strike on the locomotive in Kovel on September 16 adds to fears over the safety of cross-border rail connections.
