Atesh partisans hit Russia’s shrinking locomotive fleet – one engine at a time

The Ukrainian-linked partisan movement Atesh said it destroyed a locomotive in Russia’s Rostov Oblast, in what it described as a strike on military supply lines supporting Russian forces in southern Ukraine.

Atesh is a clandestine network that regularly claims sabotage and intelligence operations inside Russian and Russian-occupied territory. The group describes itself as focused on disrupting military and communications infrastructure that it views as supporting the Russian war effort in Ukraine. 

Locomotive destroyed near Rostov transit hub

In a Telegram statement, the group said its agents carried out a sabotage operation near the Likhovskaya railway station, reporting that the locomotive was “completely destroyed” and beyond repair.

Atesh identified the rail junction as a key transit hub for military cargo heading toward the Zaporizhzhia front, including ammunition, fuel, and armored vehicles.

The group said disabling the locomotive disrupted train movements in the area, leaving military supply convoys delayed in the rear while Russian forces await resupply.

It estimated the direct damage at over $150,000, but argued the broader impact is greater due to what it described as a shortage of operational locomotives within Russian Railways.

The claims could not be independently verified.

Russia's rear depends on rail

Railways remain a critical part of Russia’s military logistics, particularly for supplying forces over long distances from rear areas into active combat zones.

Ukrainian forces and affiliated partisan groups have repeatedly targeted rail infrastructure, fuel depots, and logistics hubs in Russia and occupied territories as part of efforts to disrupt supply chains and slow Russian operations on the front line.

Atesh's campaign inside Russian territory

In March, Atesh said its agents burned three electronic warfare towers in western Russia, including in Novgorod and Tver oblasts, which it said were interfering with Ukrainian drone operations.

The group claimed the sabotage helped open a route for Ukrainian drones to reach a military aircraft repair plant in Staraya Russa.