Russia attacked Ukrzaliznytsia substations with drones to disrupt transportation

Russia has attacked Ukrzaliznytsia's «substations with drones to disrupt transportation. Archive photo: NikVesti

On the night of 17 September, Russian troops attacked railway infrastructure facilities with drones in an attempt to disrupt substations that support the railway network.

This was reported by Oleksii Kuleba, Minister of Development of Communities, Territories and Infrastructure of Ukraine.

«Such attacks have a clear goal — to complicate the transportation of passengers and goods, disrupt the stable operation of transport and create additional pressure on people and the economy,» he said.

According to the minister, more than 20 passenger trains were on the routes during the attack. Dispatchers stopped them at a safe distance from the affected areas and evacuated the employees to shelters. There were no casualties.

As of 08:00, 26 trains were delayed for more than an hour due to the attack. Ukrzaliznytsia has engaged more than 20 reserve diesel locomotives to ensure the movement of «trains. Even in the de-energised areas, trains continue to run in backup mode. For international flights with Poland, transfers to Chełm and Przemysl have been arranged to ensure that passengers can reach their destinations safely.

«The key thing is that even such massive attacks will not stop Ukrainian transport arteries and, in particular, the Ukrainian railway», Oleksii Kuleba emphasised.

As a reminder, the Russian attack on the energy infrastructure of Ukrzaliznytsia on the morning of 17 September caused disruptions in train traffic. In particular, the Kramatorsk-Kherson train travelling through Mykolaiv was delayed by four hours.