Russian forces targeted railway infrastructure and civilian facilities across Ukraine during overnight strikes on 17 September, leaving six people injured at a gas station in Poltava Oblast and disrupting train schedules nationwide.

The attack on a gas station in Poltava district injured “five drivers and a female employee,” according to the Poltava Oblast Prosecutor’s Office. The female worker remains in critical condition, while all victims were hospitalized following the strike.

Railway operations faced significant disruption after Russian forces “attacked railway infrastructure in the Myrhorod district of Poltava Oblast,” reported regional administration head Kohut. The strikes caused power outages across several sections, forcing Ukrzaliznytsia to deploy backup diesel locomotives.

Four passenger trains experienced delays of up to three hours:

“As of 07:00, damage has been localized and power has been restored – trains (including suburban electric trains) will continue to operate normally,” Ukrzaliznytsia announced.

The railway attack sparked fires that were “localized by emergency services units,” with one person injured in the incident, Kohut confirmed.

Russian strike drones also hit Poltava district directly, damaging “the building of a gas station,” according to the prosecutor’s office. Authorities opened criminal proceedings under Article 438 Part 1 of the Criminal Code for war crimes, carrying penalties of 8-12 years imprisonment.

The overnight assault extended to Kyiv Oblast, where regional head Mykola Kalashnyk reported fires in two districts. “In Boryspil district, warehouse facilities caught fire. In Bucha district, a fire broke out in a private house,” he said. Emergency services contained both blazes with no preliminary casualties reported.

The large-scale attack began at 9 pm on 17 September, with Russia launching “75 strike drones of Shahed, Gerbera and other types from the directions: Kursk, Orel, Millerovo, Primorsko-Akhtarsk,” according to Ukraine’s Air Force. Over 40 of the attacking drones were Shaheds.

“Ukrainian Defense Forces’ aviation, anti-aircraft missile troops, electronic warfare units, unmanned systems units, and mobile fire groups” repelled the air attack, the Air Force reported.

By 9 am on 18 September, air defenses had “shot down/suppressed 48 Russian drones of Shahed, Gerbera and other types in the north, east and center of the country.” One Russian drone remained airborne at the time of the morning report.

Ukrainian special operations disrupt Russian supply lines right on their own routes. Partisans from the Atesh movement have successfully carried out a sabotage operation on the railway in the Adyge-Khabl District of the Karachay-Cherkess Republic, which is about 520-530 kilometers from Ukraine. 

As a result, a relay cabinet was set on fire between the Sadovy and Erken-Shakhar stations, near the Sadovoe settlement.

Halting ammunition supplies

This railway branch transports ammunition and military equipment from North Caucasus industrial centers to the Rostov Oblast and from there to the front in Ukraine. The sabotage disrupted train traffic, delaying the delivery of MLRS munitions, tube artillery, repaired equipment, and rotating personnel.

Chain reaction on the front

Every strike creates a domino effect: troops in occupied territories receive fewer shells, replenishments and repairs are delayed, and Ukrainian units gain a tactical advantage on the battlefield.

Direct trains from Uzhhorod to Vienna, Budapest, and Bratislava start running on 12 September 2025, marking Ukraine’s first step toward abandoning its Soviet-era railway infrastructure in favor of European standards.

Ukraine’s completion of its inaugural European-gauge railway line represents more than improved travel times—it demonstrates how a country under invasion is advancing rail integration faster than some existing EU members who have debated similar projects for decades.

Breaking from Moscow’s rail grip

The new line from the capital of Zakarpattia oblast, Uzhhorod, to Chop near the Ukraine-Slovakia-Hungary tripoint uses the standard European gauge of 1,435 mm instead of Ukraine’s current 1,520 mm Soviet broad gauge, eliminating time-consuming train changes at borders that have slowed passenger and freight movement for decades.

“For the first time in Ukraine’s modern history, a European-gauge railway has been built from scratch—a 22-kilometre stretch between Chop and Uzhhorod. Thanks to this, Uzhhorod has become the first regional centre to gain a direct European-gauge connection with EU countries—including the capitals Bratislava, Budapest and Vienna,” said Chairman of the Management Board of JSC Ukrainian Railways (Ukrzaliznytsia) Oleksandr Pertsovskyi.

Ukrainian railway workers laid 60,000 concrete sleepers, 4,000 tons of rails, and 69,600 cubic meters of ballast while installing modern Ukrainian-made signaling systems with microprocessor control.

The 22-kilometre project was finished for less than 30 million euros, whereas in the EU, the costs of building a railway vary between 12 and 45 million euros per kilometre.

Faster than the Baltics

Ukraine’s rapid progress contrasts sharply with established EU members struggling with similar conversions. The Rail Baltica project, intended to connect Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania to European-gauge networks, has faced delays and cost overruns since its 2014 launch, with completion now pushed to 2030.

While Baltic states joined NATO and the EU in 2004, they retained Russian-gauge railways; Ukraine treats infrastructure conversion as essential to its survival and European integration.

Strategic infrastructure as a geopolitical statement

“Ukrzaliznytsia has become a true lifeline during Russia’s war of aggression—for citizens seeking safety, for businesses sustaining the economy, and as a channel of “iron diplomacy,” bringing world leaders to Ukraine in solidarity and support. It is a first, but very significant step towards fully integrating Ukraine’s railways with the European network, and towards Ukraine’s future inside the European family.” said Ambassador of the European Union to Ukraine Katarína Mathernová.

This project is part of the extended Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T) corridors inside Ukraine.

Under the Connecting Europe Facility, the European Commission has provided €110 million ($129 million) in non-reimbursable support (mobilising €220 million ($258.6 million)) to integrate the Ukrainian and EU rail systems along these corridors, including a July grant of €76 million ($89 million) for the Poland–Lviv standard-gauge line.

Lviv connection next

Officials have already announced the next phase: extending standard-gauge track from the Polish border to Lviv, Ukraine’s largest western city. Pertsovskyi has also set out near-term execution goals:

The July CEF grant supports the Poland–Lviv link, creating a direct standard-gauge route from Ukraine’s industrial heartland to EU markets.

Future plans include additional European-gauge sections in Zakarpattia and Volyn oblasts, routes to the Czech Republic, Hungary, and Poland, and comprehensive freight corridors from Ukrainian industrial centres to European ports and markets.

Wartime integration and EU timelines

“This is a historic step towards EU integration. Especially in wartime, when railways serve as a vital lifeline for Ukraine’s economy and people, strengthening these transport links is more important than ever.” said Teresa Czerwińska, Vice-President of the European Investment Bank.

That compresses the traditional accession sequence—stabilise politics, build institutions, then knit infrastructure.

If Ukraine can convert track, align signalling, and meet EU technical standards faster than some members did in peacetime, other milestones, then market access, regulatory alignment, and TEN-T build-out need not wait for a “perfectly stable” post-war moment.

The policy question for Brussels is whether wartime institutional capacity should accelerate, rather than delay, integration.

Russian Railways’ cargo volumes dropped 5.4% in August 2025 compared to the previous year, marking the third consecutive quarterly decline as sanctions and war costs devastate Moscow’s economy.

According to Ukraine’s Center for Countering Disinformation, the state railway monopolist transported just 92.2 million tons in August, down from 97.2 million tons in August 2024.

Over eight months, total shipments fell 7.1% to 738.8 million tons compared to 2024 levels.

Economic backbone crumbles under pressure

The railway data exposes how deeply the war has damaged Russia’s economic foundation. Russian Railways handles 87% of the country’s cargo transport excluding pipelines, making freight volumes a direct indicator of industrial activity across key sectors from construction to metallurgy.

The steepest declines hit Russia’s most strategic industries. Construction materials shipments collapsed 15%, ferrous metals dropped 17.3%, and coal fell 3.6%.

Oil shipments decreased 4.9% due to refinery maintenance issues, while grain transport plummeted 30.7% following poor harvests and export restrictions.

Earlier data published by Russia’s own Interfax on 12 August showed similar patterns through July, with cargo volumes down 6.2% over the seven months to 739.3 million tons. Domestic shipments fell 8.9% to 437.9 million tons, while international cargo dropped 2.1% to 301.4 million tons.

Sanctions bite deeper as infrastructure crumbles

The transportation crisis reflects broader economic stagnation gripping Russia nearly four years into its war against Ukraine. Western sanctions have severed access to critical railway components, forcing the state monopolist to trim its planned investment program by nearly 40%, cutting spending from 1.3 trillion rubles to 834 billion rubles for 2025.

The company now faces deficits of 2,500 engineers and 3,000 locomotive crews, forcing cancellation of approximately 200 train services daily.

Ukrainian drone strikes continue targeting Russian rail infrastructure. For example, a recent attack on 21 August struck a railway substation in Voronezh Oblast, disrupting military supply lines and civilian cargo movement.

War economy shows strain

The railway decline parallels Russia’s broader economic struggles. Military spending consumes 6.3% of GDP—the highest since the Cold War. The war economy’s temporary GDP boost masks structural problems, including chronic labor shortages and vanishing productivity gains.

Transport indicators typically warn early about economic downturns, as reduced cargo volumes signal decreased industrial production and weakening domestic demand. The consistent quarterly declines suggest Russia’s economic foundation continues deteriorating under the weight of sustained warfare and international isolation.

The Center for Countering Disinformation reported on 10 August that Russian Railways was forcing employees to take unpaid “vacations” due to financial constraints—another indicator of the state monopolist’s mounting difficulties.

In the early hours of 1 September, Ukrainian drones struck a critical transformer substation in the southern Russian town of Kropotkin, Krasnodar Krai, igniting a massive fire and disabling the infrastructure that powered one of southern Russia’s key railway hubs.

Ukrainian drones ignite Kropotkin substation, disabling strategic logistics node

According to Russian Telegram channel Astra, the attack triggered a blaze at the substation servicing the Kavkazskaya railway station in Kropotkin. The local operational headquarters confirmed the incident, attributing the fire to debris from downed drones. Officials claimed there were no casualties.

“We’re dying from the smoke on Zheleznodorozhnaya [Steet],” read one message, while others noted unbearable conditions on Shevchenko Street.

Videos and reports shared by Ukrainian Telegram channel Exilenova+ identified the substation as the 330kV Kropotkin transformer, which supplied power to the regional energy system and to critical railway lines connecting the North Caucasus with Rostov, Kuban, and the Black Sea ports.

The Kavkazskaya station, a railway junction, plays a crucial role in transporting freight, including grain and oil products, and in moving military hardware and personnel toward northern Russia and occupied Crimea. Disrupting this link complicates Russia’s ability to sustain operations in multiple directions.

Strategic targeting of Russian railway infrastructure continues

Just a week earlier, Ukrainian drones hit a railway hub and locomotive depot in the town of Petrov Val, Volgograd Oblast — approximately 350 kilometers from the Ukrainian border.

On 17 August, drones attacked the Liski railway station in Voronezh Oblast, one of the largest junctions in the South-Eastern Railway system. That strike brought train traffic to a halt. The station is actively used by Russian forces to transport military equipment and personnel.

Broader drone campaign spans multiple regions

In its morning update, Russia’s Defense Ministry claimed that 50 drones had been intercepted overnight across various regions. According to its statement, 16 were shot down over the Black Sea, 12 over Belgorod Oblast, 7 over the Azov Sea, and several others across Saratov, Samara, Orenburg oblasts, the Republic of Tatarstan, and Krasnodar Krai itself.