New Tactics of the Russian Federation: For what purpose the enemy attacks rail infrastructure

The fact is that rail connections can be transported by cargoes in much larger volume than by road. It is because of this that many military cargoes in Ukraine are transported by rail. According to OSINT researchers, in September 2025, the invaders 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.

In my opinion, this may indicate an attempt to implement a comprehensive approach against the moral spirit and logistics of the military, to create panic among civilians and to increase pressure on the political leadership of the country. It is worth noting that the occupiers have radically changed the strategy of strikes on the Ukrainian railway - now the enemy deliberately attacks individual trains, not just strategic objects.

Let me remind you that on the night of September 17, 2025, the invaders caused massive blows on the railway infrastructure of Ukraine. The drones of drones on the substation and power lines led to the delays of trains movement in the Dnieper and Odessa directions. On the night of October 2, the invaders struck the railway in the Buchan district, and a large -scale fire was engaged in Odessa after the attack on a depot. In addition, the railway in Konotop was injured.

Trains stopped at a safe distance from the area of ​​the lesions. On October 4, 2025, the Russian occupation army attacked the Railway Station in the Shostka community in Sumy region. The blow came on a passenger train, the person was killed, there are victims. On October 7, a locomotive depot, a distance of power supply, responsible for the electricity supply of the railway, was in Poltava.

In addition, the invaders struck near the railway station "Nosovka-Nizhyn", located in the Chernihiv region. And on October 9, the Russians attacked the railway in the Sumy region. At that time, changes in routes that touched both regional and suburban and long trains were reported. The CEO of Ukrzaliznytsia Alexander Pertsovsky reported that the Russian forces were launching 6-7 shock drones-Kamikadze "Shahaned" every night, directing them to locomotives.

At present, the enemy continues to strike on the Ukrainian railway in order to trim the connection with the frontlines, including Sumy and Chernihiv region. The enemy aims to block the main routes and tries to block backup. The occupiers have clearly thought out their actions, and their operation is complex in nature, in which several tasks are set at once, and it is combined.

The algorithm of actions and calculations of the enemy is in the strengthening of shelling of residential quarters of large cities, especially the cities-millionaires of Kharkiv, Dnieper and Odessa, which causes panic of the locals and the desire to leave the city.

At the same time, the enemy strikes railway infrastructure, which is done with two purposes: due to the impossibility of rail transportation, the evacuation of refugees and the supply of the Armed Forces will move to highways, where both opposite streams (east and west) will encounter and inevitably cause traffic jams.

In turn, according to the enemy's calculations, because of the impossibility of evacuation, refugees will remain in cities, which will lead to the growth of chaos in them, the fall of the moral spirit of residents and the military. The invaders expect that this situation immediately worsens the situation on the forefront by reducing the supply of the Armed Forces.

According to military analyst Vladislav Seleznov, the enemy understands that success depends on the availability of resources on the battlefield. "Accordingly, the enemy tries to slow down the movement of military echelons, including those that provide our defense forces in different parts of the front," he said.

Thus, the purpose of the invaders is railway stations, bridges through rivers, railway tunnels, as well as electrical stations that provide the pulling power of our electrical network, which, in turn, feeds electric locomotives.

In turn, according to the intention of the invaders, the civilian population, due to the impossibility of carrying out evacuation measures and firing of civilian infrastructure, will have an additional impact on the country's management in order to plant at the negotiation table on favorable conditions for the Russian Federation. The author expresses a personal opinion that may not coincide with the editorial position. The author is responsible for published data in the "Thought" section.