Russia again struck railway infrastructure near Ukraine’s border with Poland overnight, directly hitting another locomotive in Volyn Oblast, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said on 15 September. He appealed to Ukraine’s partners for urgent help replacing locomotives damaged or destroyed by Russian strikes.
The latest strike adds to a rapidly growing toll on Ukraine’s railway fleet. More than 500 Ukrainian locomotives have been damaged or completely destroyed since Russia launched its full-scale invasion, Sybiha said. More than half of those losses have occurred this year alone, as Russian attacks on railways have intensified and increasingly reached western Ukraine.
Ukraine’s railway system remains essential for civilian travel, evacuating people from frontline areas and transporting goods across the country. Recent attacks show that Russia is increasingly putting even these routes at risk far from the front.
Ukraine asks partners for locomotives
Sybiha said Ukraine urgently needs replacement locomotives and called on international partners to help provide equipment compatible with Ukraine’s 1,520 mm rail gauge, as well as financing to accelerate the purchase of new locomotives.
“Ukraine’s railway keeps the country moving,” Sybiha said, pointing to its role in civilian evacuations, essential cargo transport, and the movement of grain and other critical goods.
The appeal reflects a problem that is becoming harder to solve through repairs alone. With more than 250 locomotives reportedly damaged or destroyed in 2026, Ukraine needs to replace rolling stock while continuing to repair infrastructure under attack.
“Supporting Ukraine’s railway resilience will help avert a humanitarian crisis,” Sybiha said.
As Russia expands its attacks against transport routes deeper inside Ukraine, keeping the railway running is becoming not only a matter of logistics, but of maintaining the country’s basic civilian mobility and economic stability.
Russia is taking aim at trains and railway infrastructure
The latest strike came only days after a Russian drone hit the locomotive of a passenger train in Volyn Oblast, just two kilometers from the Polish border.
That 13 September attack was part of two consecutive days of Russian strikes on railway infrastructure across Ukraine. A drone also struck railway facilities in Lutsk, while another hit railway infrastructure in Vinnytsia Oblast.
Russia strikes passenger train near Polish border as drone swarms reach deeper into western Ukraine
The attacks are part of a broader expansion of Russia’s long-range drone campaign against transport and logistics infrastructure deep inside Ukraine. Railway stations, tracks, locomotives, and other infrastructure are increasingly being exposed to Russian drone strikes even in regions far from the battlefield.
The proximity of the latest attacks to Poland is particularly notable. Russia has also struck Ukrainian border crossings with Moldova and Romania in recent weeks, while Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk warned on 10 September that Ukrainian crossings with Poland could also come under attack.
