Russia has intensified drone attacks targeting Ukraine’s passenger trains and railway infrastructure since late 2025, with the escalation growing sharply in 2026. More than half of all locomotive strikes recorded since Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022 occurred this year. Ukrainian passengers face frequent evacuations and long delays as rail services contend with daily threats near conflict zones, including key border crossings and major cities like Kyiv and Odesa.
Statistics on Locomotive Strikes and Train Evacuations
Between 2022 and 2026, 521 locomotives have been hit by Russian attacks, with almost 60% of those strikes happening in 2026 alone, according to Ukrzaliznytsia, Ukraine’s state-owned rail operator. Attacks on railway
facilities increased from 1,206 incidents in 2025 to 1,700 so far in 2026. In September 2026, Russian drone strikes forced the evacuation of 5,831 trains, averaging 205 train stoppages daily nationwide.
Casualties include eight Ukrzaliznytsia employees killed this year, six of whom died in a single ballistic missile attack on a locomotive depot in Kyiv, illustrating the intensity of the ongoing conflict impacting critical rail infrastructure.
Passenger Experiences Amid Drone Attacks
Passengers such as 27-year-old marketing specialist Yuliia Ponomarenko from Kharkiv have encountered prolonged delays caused by attacks. She experienced a six-hour wait near the Ukraine-Poland border after a locomotive was struck, delaying her journey
to Warsaw. “We were really lucky that we were delayed a little and it wasn’t our train,” she said, noting a special train with European dignitaries had passed minutes earlier.
Seventeen-year-old Anastasiia Ryvbalchenko faced a nighttime evacuation near a drone strike during her journey between Odesa and Kirovohrad on 16 September 2026. Passengers were forced off their train at 4 a.m. in darkness amid explosions. “There was an extremely loud explosion and everyone started running into the woods,” she recalled. Anastasiia continued on foot before being collected by family, expressing exhaustion from repeated evacuations.
Passengers routinely must vacate trains when
drones enter a 100-kilometer threat radius, waiting trackside or at stations until the area clears, often enduring hours of delay and significant disruption to travel schedules.
Ukrzaliznytsia Leadership on Operational Challenges and Countermeasures
Oleksandr Pertsovskyi, CEO of Ukrzaliznytsia, described the situation as “extremely intense,” with Russian forces using Shahed drones equipped with AI, image recognition, and mesh networks to strike moving trains with precision. He emphasized that passenger and crew safety supersedes punctuality, stating, “But now the life of our passengers and crew members is the utmost priority.”
Pertsovskyi explained that Ukraine employs electronic disruption tactics to counter drones but characterized the scenario as “a cat-and-mouse game”
involving evolving drone capabilities. “Our mission is not to let our train or our crew members be in that immediate attack area,” he added, highlighting ongoing efforts to prevent casualties despite escalating violence.
Operational Adaptations and Preparations for Winter
Ukrzaliznytsia operates from an underground facility called the “Iron Command Centre” in Kyiv, where railway staff monitor drone threats in real time via satellite and video feeds. Each detected drone is assigned a 100-kilometer exclusion zone, prompting the evacuation of trains within this area until it is safe to continue.
With Ukraine’s harsh winter approaching, bringing temperatures as low as -20°C, Ukrzaliznytsia is preparing special winter evacuation
packs, mobile shelters, and supplemental bus services for areas frequently affected by evacuations. These efforts receive support from international donors to maintain connectivity across the country despite persistent attacks.
Pertsovskyi said, “We might be a slightly different railway, a reinvented railway, but we’ll keep connecting the country, no matter what, be it winter, be it summer, no matter how hard the enemy hits us.”
Passenger and Official Perspectives
Passengers convey the human impact of these disruptions. Anastasiia Ryvbalchenko reported, “On my way to Odesa, there had been a lot of evacuations and now on my way back it was happening again. I was already
thinking that if there was another evacuation, I just couldn’t take it any more.”
Yuliia Ponomarenko recalled her fortunate delay before a strike hit the locomotive near the border, noting, “We were really lucky that we were delayed a little and it wasn’t our train.”
Oleksandr Pertsovskyi underscored the increased threat level, stating, “It’s a combination of the deadly force of their shahed drones and precision that they achieve with cameras and mesh networks so they can hit moving targets.” He also acknowledged the ongoing challenge, saying, “Unfortunately, this is always a cat-and-mouse game.”
The Russian Defence Ministry denies targeting
civilians, asserting that attacks focus on military transport infrastructure to disrupt troop and equipment movements.
