Six railway workers were killed on Tuesday when a Russian ballistic missile struck a locomotive depot in Kyiv, part of a deliberate new phase of attacks targeting Ukraine's rail network, according to Ukraine's state-owned railway company, Ukrzaliznytsia. The strike occurred during a massive bombardment of Kyiv and the surrounding region, which left at least 12 people dead and a dozen wounded, including three children.
Ukrzaliznytsia's chair, Oleksandr Pertsovsky, described the attack as "an unbearably difficult night for the entire railway family," noting that railway 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.
Escalating attacks on infrastructure
The deadly strike came as Russia escalated its assault on the Ukrainian capital, carrying out continuous raids for six days beginning last week. The onslaught occurred hours before Ukrainian children were set to begin a new school year, and the attacks have disrupted daily life and demoralised residents.
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 Ukrzaliznytsia urging people with B positive blood type to donate. "Our colleagues are by his side," the company said, adding it would support victims' families.
The railway network, Europe's third largest with 15,000 miles (24,000km) of track, has been a lifeline for wartime civilians. It has transported four million people and an estimated 120,000 pets, and has brought world leaders to Kyiv, including Joe Biden and Andy Burnham, who arrived last week on an overnight service from Poland.
Railway as economic backbone
Serhih Leshchenko, a member of Ukrzaliznytsia's supervisory board, described the railway as the "backbone of Ukraine's economy." It serves as the main logistical supplier for the army and industry, transporting 600,000 people every week. With 170,000 workers, it is also the country's biggest company.
Leshchenko explained that Russia was deliberately trying to destroy the railways. In the first year of the war, attacks targeted bridges, which were easily replaced. Next came rails and electricity substations, prompting Ukraine to switch to diesel engines. This year, Russia has launched "direct attacks on civilian locomotives," he said, a tactic made more deadly by Ukraine's shortage of air defences.
Several drivers have been killed and locomotives targeted inside depots. Leshchenko noted that 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
Trains, once known for punctuality, now suffer regular delays, sometimes lasting 12 to 15 hours. Amid air raid sirens, passengers are forced to disembark and take cover, even 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.
Zaiets 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, she said she was too frightened to travel by train, stating, "Until the war is over, I won't be using it," while 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. One passenger, Andriy, told the website Suspline: "The train was stopped, we were kicked out. We heard explosions, everything was burning. It was scary." Another passenger, Eva, said she was evacuated twice and "dropped off in a field," adding, "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.
Impact on economy and daily life
Leshchenko admitted the Russian strikes were hurting Ukraine's economy and had slowed grain exports from its under-fire 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 travel at 55mph. Carriages are clean and comfortable, with stewards providing morning tea in filigree holders on night trains and a trolley on day trains. On international services, border guards scrutinise male passengers, and 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 by train.
In recent days, Russia has launched over 1,500 drones at Ukraine, 800 of them jet-fuel models that are harder to shoot down. Previously, Moscow would send drone swarms a couple of times a week, usually at night. Now attacks continue without 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 as "terrible," saying, "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."
