Locomotives under the sight: how Russia tries to paralyze the Ukrainian railway

To spread: Russia has opened a new front against Ukrainian logistics - drones are increasingly beating not on stations or tracks, but aimed at locomotives. Without thrust, the railway will stop, and this is what the enemy is achieved. Focus found out why the blows of locomotives became a new tactic of the Russian Federation and what could save the Ukrainian railway from paralysis. Russia has increased attacks by drones on the Ukrainian railway infrastructure, aiming at attacking locomotives.

Freight wagons are not priority, and the railway canvas is quickly restored. Therefore, according to the Ukrainian expert on radio technologies Sergiy Flash Beskrest, the enemy focuses on the destruction of locomotives without which the railway will stop. "I hope this week I will meet with the management of" Ukrzaliznytsia ". If not act, our railway will be destroyed," he said.

The expert demonstrated how the Russian unit of UAV "Rubicon" monitors the locomotive, determines the place of his parking lot and strikes. According to him, this locomotive had to be in shelter rather than staying in danger. Flash stressed that without a quick reaction to the new challenges of the enemy, the situation will become critical. He called for immediate measures to protect the railway infrastructure to avoid catastrophic consequences for the transport system of Ukraine.

According to the senior analyst of the Ukrainian Center for Security and Cooperation of Anton Zemal, the beginning of October 2025 was marked by massive attacks of Russian troops on key objects of Ukrainian railway infrastructure, in particular on locomotive depots and locomotives themselves. Russian attacks on the Ukrainian railway are a response to a successful Ukrainian campaign aimed at breaking Russian logistics due to blows to traction substations in the south of the Russian Federation.

These actions significantly complicated the supply of Russian troops, which prompted the Russian Federation to adapt tactics and focus on key elements of the Ukrainian transport system. The main goals of Russian blows, according to the earth, are: the railway plays a key role in the transportation of military equipment, ammunition and humanitarian aid.

For example, a railway knot in Sambir in Lviv was intended to detain military assistance from Poland, which is an important route for Western support of Ukraine. Attacks are often aimed at stations and civilian trains, especially in border regions, such as Chernihiv, Sumy and Poltava. Strokes on civilian sites aim to panic, demoralize the population and complicate evacuation from dangerous zones.

According to OSINT researchers, in September 2025, Russia attacked at least 36 energy infrastructure, including traction substations. This complicates the functioning of electric locomotives and threatens the stop of railway traffic in individual regions. "It should be noted that the size of the Ukrainian territory facilitates logistics, because an extensive network of roads and smaller distances - significantly reduce the logistics shoulder.

Therefore, the interruptions in the railway work will not affect the situation on the front as much as possible. According to earth, effective counteraction to Russian attacks on railway infrastructure requires a comprehensive approach, which includes technical, organizational and strategic measures. This set of measures should include: strengthening the protection of locomotive depot and tractors.

Installation of EWS systems on locomotive depots and locomotives themselves can significantly complicate the accurate guidance of Russian UAVs. The IEC is able to interfere with drone control signals, reducing the efficiency of attacks. Locomotives, especially diesel, should be placed in shelters or hangars, equipped for protection against drones. This requires investment in the construction of fortified structures, but is critical for the preservation of equipment.

Reducing the concentration of locomotives in one place can reduce the likelihood of mass lesions. For example, instead of storing all locomotives in a large depot, you can distribute them between several smaller objects. Improvement of air defense. Chernihiv, Sumy region and other border areas require additional air defense systems, including mobile groups capable of responding to UAV promptly. This may include the use of anti -aircraft guns and cheetah systems to combat drones.

The introduction of modern radar systems and drones-reconnaissance for the monitoring of airspace will allow to detect enemy UAVs faster and coordinate air defense. Organizational measures. In the border regions, you can temporarily reduce the number of trains or change their routes to avoid accumulation of equipment in high -risk areas. This may include the use of alternative roads for military and civilian transportation.

Increasing the number of diesel locomotives and their distribution in different regions will help reduce the dependence on electrical tractors that depend on energy infrastructure. We will remind, on the night of October 9 the Russians attacked the Odessa region by shock UAV. The air defense forces have shot down some of the drones, but there are damage to civilian, port and energy infrastructure.