Six Ukrainian railway workers were killed on Tuesday when a Russian ballistic missile struck a locomotive depot in Kyiv, part of a new and deadly phase of the war focused on the country's rail network. The state-owned railway company, Ukrzaliznytsia, confirmed the deaths and reported significant damage to other railway facilities during a massive bombardment of the capital and surrounding region. At least 12 people died in the attacks, with a dozen wounded, including three children.
Deadly strikes on railway infrastructure
Ukrzaliznytsia's chair, Oleksandr Pertsovsky, described the night as "unbearably difficult for the entire railway family," noting that staff had been working at the scene since early morning. "The attack has caused significant damage. Rescue workers are still putting out a number of fires," he said. The strikes came as Russia escalated its attacks on Kyiv, carrying out continuous raids for six days in an attempt to disrupt daily life and demoralise residents. The onslaught occurred hours before Ukrainian children began a new school year.
Since Russia's full-scale invasion, 58 railway staff have been killed and at least 318 injured. One wounded employee, Volodymyr, was taken to hospital on Tuesday, with an appeal for blood donations for his B positive blood group. "Our colleagues are by his side," Ukrzaliznytsia said, adding it would support victims' families.
Railway as a lifeline under attack
The railway network, Europe's third largest with 15,000 miles (24,000km) of track, has been a lifeline for wartime civilians, transporting four million people and an estimated 120,000 pets. It has also brought world leaders to Kyiv, including Joe Biden and Andy Burnham, who arrived last week on an overnight service from Poland. Serhih Leshchenko, a member of Ukrzaliznytsia's supervisory board, described the railway as the "backbone of Ukraine's economy," serving as the main logistical supplier for the army and industry, transporting 600,000 people every week, and employing 170,000 workers.
Leshchenko explained that Russia was deliberately targeting the railways. In the first year of the war, it attacked bridges, then rails and electricity substations, prompting Ukraine to switch to diesel engines. This year, it began "direct attacks on civilian locomotives," a tactic that exploits Ukraine's shortage of air defences. Several drivers have been killed and locomotives targeted inside depots. If a Shahed drone comes within 50km of a train, it must be evacuated and can only continue once the threat has passed. So far this year, Russia has hit the network more than 1,500 times, a higher figure than the whole of 2025. Overall, 249 carriages and 492 locomotives have been damaged.
Passengers face delays and danger
Once known for punctuality, trains now suffer regular delays, sometimes lasting 12 to 15 hours. Amid air raid sirens, passengers are forced to disembark and take cover, including during winter. Ukrainian journalist Tetiana Zaiets described on Facebook how she hid in April when Russian drones flew overhead. "It was hell. The train stopped at night somewhere in central Ukraine. I don't even know the name of the town. Half asleep, I just heard the conductor say 'Evacuation'. We took only our personal belongings and valuables with us. It was raining outside. Thank you to the conductors for handing out blankets," she posted.
She added: "That's how we held out for two hours. While kamikaze drones were buzzing overhead, we crawled under a goods wagon. The last carriage in the train was full of children. They were being taken back from hospital. They were crying in their sleep. I thought I'd ended up in some sort of horror film. But no, this is our life." Since the incident, Zaiets said she was too frightened to travel by train. "Until the war is over, I won't be using it," she said, stressing she respected Ukraine's "courageous" railway workers.
Last week, an enemy drone hit a train in the Odesa region with 600 people on board, including 15 children. "The train was stopped, we were kicked out. We heard explosions, everything was burning. It was scary," one passenger, Andriy, told the website Suspline. Another passenger, Eva, said she was evacuated twice and "dropped off in a field". "We sat there and heard something flying. Then we saw a drone very close by." She managed to collect her belongings and was eventually picked up by a bus.
Economic impact and calls for air defences
Leshchenko admitted the Russian strikes were hurting Ukraine's economy and had slowed the export of grain from its Black Sea ports. He said Kyiv needed air defences from western partners to protect its trains from missiles and drones. "If the whole country is under attack, they will attack railways for sure," he said. Up until this year, more than 90% of Ukrainian trains arrived on time, partly because engines roll at 55mph. Carriages are clean and comfortable, with stewards looking after night train customers and bringing morning tea in filigree holders. There is a trolley on day trains and patchy wifi.
On international services, border guards scrutinise male passengers, while dogs roam corridors. Since the invasion, men between 18 and 60 have been forbidden from leaving the country, with some exemptions. On trains from Kyiv to Przemyśl in eastern Poland, most travellers are women. Since 2022, around six million people have departed abroad, many exiting by train. In recent days, Russia has launched over 1,500 drones at Ukraine, 800 of them jet-fuel models, which are harder to shoot down. Attacks now continue without a pause, with one or two drones dispatched every hour, paralysing ordinary life. Air raid sirens in Kyiv are non-stop. Pertsovsky described the loss of his employees on Tuesday as "terrible". "We are in touch with their loved ones. Everyone is with them to get through this extremely difficult time. The night is bitter with impossibility," he wrote.
