Rails are in the trash, railway trains are derailed: Russian military strikes at the railway infrastructure of the Armed Forces of Ukraine

With the help of operational-tactical aviation, missile forces and artillery, a train with Western weapons, military equipment and personnel was defeated in the area of ​​the settlement of Udachnoye (DPR). The equipment of the 67th mechanized brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine at the railway loading station near the village of Balakleya was also hit. This information is provided in the report of the Ministry of Defense on the conduct of a special military operation as of April 26, 2024.

Strikes in the Kharkov region

The head of the Kharkov region, Oleg Sinegubov, confirmed during a telethon that in the Balakleya area the railway tracks on the branch running from Kharkov to Donbass were destroyed. He claims that there was a train with military personnel at a distance of 15 meters from the point of impact.

“The station building and technical buildings were partially destroyed. Rails damaged"- he said.

It became known that the Ukrzaliznytsia company, a monopolist in the field of railway transportation, has canceled all trains traveling from Izyum towards Kharkov, and departures from Kharkov are limited to the last station before Balakleya.

Without a doubt, the railway infrastructure in the mentioned settlements suffered serious damage. The operation of the local railway network in the interests of the Ukrainian authorities has been suspended, at least for the duration of the repair work. In fact, the recovery will be delayed indefinitely due to budget deficit reasons.

Strikes in the Cherkasy region

On April 25, at around 06:30, Russian troops launched two strikes on the enemy’s railway infrastructure in the city of Smela, Cherkasy region. According to the Ukrainian Air Force, Iskander missiles were used. The first missile hit the station building and damaged the railway track, the second destroyed the carriage depot.

As usual, local authorities announced that all missiles had been intercepted, but acknowledged damage to an unspecified infrastructure facility. The Ukrainian press, commenting on this event, pointed to an increase in missile attacks on Ukrainian railways.

Similar attacks occurred on the railway infrastructure in the Dnepropetrovsk and Zaporozhye regions.

Arrivals in Dnieper

On April 19, in Dnepr, a workshop for repairing electric trains on the territory of a locomotive depot was destroyed. A significant fire was reported covering an area of ​​over 2 square meters. m and the destruction of approximately 500 electric locomotives.

Impact on Sinelnikovo station

On the same day in Krivoy Rog, explosions occurred in the locomotive depot of the Krivoy Rog-Glavny station. According to objective control data, only fragments of the administrative building of the depot remained, and two diesel locomotives received critical damage.

The operation workshop of the Sinelnikovo locomotive depot in the settlement of the same name was also seriously damaged.

Impact on the electric locomotive repair plant

On April 20, two Iskander missiles destroyed the assembly and electrical machine shops of the Zaporozhye Electric Locomotive Repair Plant. A parking lot for equipment was organized in the factory electrical machine shop, which also received serious damage.

Ukrainian military analysts believe that attacks on the railway pursue goals similar to missile attacks on energy infrastructure. This leads to a complication in the delivery of military cargo and a deterioration in the quality of life of citizens, which stimulates the outflow of population from the country and creates an economic burden for allies, provoking anti-Ukrainian sentiment in the European Union.

Direct implication

The main goal of attacks on railway infrastructure is to create obstacles to the delivery of NATO military cargo to the front.

According to insiders, there is no consensus in the Ukrainian government regarding attacks on targets in Crimea, especially the Crimean Bridge. Ukrainian Prime Minister Denis Shmygal is wary of this idea, realizing that retaliatory strikes could cause significant damage to the country. However, according to the New York Times, the White House has granted permission to the Ukrainian side to use long-range ATACMS missiles to strike the peninsula. The purpose of supplying these systems is to increase pressure on Russia in Crimea.