When Russian drones struck the Shostka train station in northeastern Ukraine earlier this month, the devastation was immediate and harrowing—a 71-year-old man lost his life, at least eight others were wounded, and the train cars themselves were left buckled and pocked with shrapnel. But for Ukraine, this was not just another grim statistic in a long war. It was the latest, and perhaps most telling, sign of a dramatic escalation in Russia’s campaign against the country’s vital rail network, one that’s now being waged with unprecedented precision and frequency.
According to The Associated Press, the Shostka attack—less than 70 kilometers from the Russian border—was carried out by two explosives-laden drones that hit commuter trains in quick succession. This event is emblematic of a broader trend that’s been accelerating since mid-summer 2025: Russia’s use of advanced, video-guided drones to target Ukraine’s railways, a critical artery for both commercial and military logistics. The attacks are not just more frequent, but also smarter and deadlier, as Kyiv rail officials told AP. "Each strike is smarter, deadlier," a rail official said, underscoring the new threat that Ukraine faces on its infrastructure front lines.
Oleksandr Pertsovskyi, CEO of Ukraine’s state railway, explained to AP that "what happens is not just about the quantity, it’s also the approach of enemy forces. Now, as they have very precise Shahed drones, they are targeting individual locomotives." That’s a chilling prospect for a country where the rail network carries more than 63% of all freight and 37% of passenger traffic, based on figures from the State Statistics Service. The railways are essential not just for moving grain and metal exports to seaports and borders, but also for transporting military aid from allied nations—making them a prime target for Russian disruption.
Since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion in early 2022, Ukrainian officials had publicly reported roughly one attack on railways per week. But since mid-summer of this year, that rate has more than doubled to two or three per week, according to an AP review of public records. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg: Oleksii Kuleba, a deputy prime minister overseeing restoration and development, told AP there have been 300 attacks on railway infrastructure since August alone—averaging about 10 attacks per week. These numbers include not just direct hits on trains, but also damage to power lines, substations, tracks, and stations.
The new wave of attacks is powered by significant technological upgrades in Russia’s drone fleet. Serhii Beskrestnov, a Ukrainian military and drone expert, explained that Russian drones are now equipped with cameras and radio modems, allowing operators to adjust a drone’s flight path in real time and stream video back to Russian-held areas. "If the Russians keep hitting diesel and electric locomotives, the time will come very soon when the track will still be intact—but we’ll have nothing left to run on it," Beskrestnov warned, highlighting the vulnerability of locomotives that move slowly and follow predictable routes.
These modified drones, including the Russian Geran (a variant of the Iranian-designed Shahed), can now fly up to 200 kilometers into Ukrainian territory while providing live video to their operators. According to an official at Ukraine’s Defense Ministry, who spoke to AP on condition of anonymity, Ukrainian forces have recovered and examined a Geran-type drone fitted with a civilian camera and radio modem. The official said this suggests Moscow is actively testing and refining new technical solutions—ones that not only boost precision but also allow Russian operators to spot Ukrainian air defense systems and assess damage in real time.
For Ukraine’s railway managers and crews, the pressure is relentless. The attacks threaten to choke the flow of goods and people, but so far, the response has been nothing short of heroic. Ukrainian repair teams have earned a reputation for their speed and efficiency. In Kyiv, railway repair team leader Maksym Shevchuk, 30, recalled the day a missile destroyed 12 meters of track: "Traffic on the track was fully restored in half a day," he told AP. Across the country, piles of debris from missile attacks are cleared within hours, and utility teams typically restore power and water within a day after most strikes.
Despite these efforts, the impact is starting to show. Freight volumes carried by rail from January through August 2025 dropped 11.7% compared to the previous year, while passenger traffic declined by 4.2%, according to the State Statistics Service. The reasons for the decline aren’t spelled out in official reports, but the connection to the wave of attacks is hard to ignore. Still, Nataliia Kolesnichenko, a senior economist at the Center for Economic Strategy in Kyiv, described the impact so far as "negative but marginal," crediting the rapid repair work and train rerouting that has kept delays to a minimum.
But the attacks are not limited to physical strikes. In March 2025, a major cyberattack disrupted online ticketing and other railway services for a week, adding a digital dimension to the challenges facing Ukraine’s rail system. Throughout the war, Russian drones and missiles have repeatedly targeted railway infrastructure, mostly in regions near the front line, but the recent surge and sophistication of attacks have raised the stakes significantly.
For Ukrainian officials, the fight to keep the trains running has become a symbol of national resilience. Pertsovskyi summed up the spirit of the railway teams: "For us, it is paramount to show Ukrainians—and the enemy—that these attacks are not going to bring the expected results." The sentiment is echoed by crews who work around the clock to repair tracks, restore service, and ensure that, despite the danger and damage, the lifeblood of Ukraine’s commerce and defense keeps flowing.
So, what’s next for Ukraine’s railways? The answer is uncertain. As Russian attacks grow more precise and frequent, the challenge of protecting and maintaining the vast network becomes ever more daunting. Locomotives, slow and predictable, remain tempting targets for video-guided drones. The risk is that, even if the tracks themselves survive, there may soon be too few engines left to run on them.
Yet, if the past months have shown anything, it’s that Ukraine’s railway workers are undeterred. They clear debris, patch rails, and get trains moving again—often within hours. Their work is more than maintenance; it’s a daily act of defiance. As Russian drones circle overhead, Ukraine’s trains keep rolling, a testament to the country’s resolve and ingenuity in the face of relentless assault.
In the end, the battle for Ukraine’s railways is about more than logistics or infrastructure. It’s a fight for the country’s ability to move, to trade, to defend itself—and, perhaps most of all, to endure.