photo: Image from video on X network, with permission/Ukraine: sabotage of Russian electric train
Ukraine intensifies sabotage against Russian railways, targeting locomotives, fuel trains, and key infrastructure to disrupt supply lines.
From burning locomotives to derailed fuel tankers, Ukraine is ramping up efforts to disrupt Russia’s supply lines. Repeated strikes on railway infrastructure are hindering the transport of weapons and fuel, with bold sabotage missions targeting Russian railways, locomotives, and bridges.
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Russia's full-scale war in Ukraine has affected all sectors, including railway infrastructure. The recent burning of Russian locomotives was not an isolated incident—attacks on railway systems are frequent. We’ve mapped out some of the key events. Ukraine’s military intelligence, according to Hromadske, has claimed responsibility for the recent destruction of two Russian diesel locomotives. The first act of sabotage took place on February 19 in Orekhovo-Zuyevo, Moscow region, where Ukrainian operatives set fire to a Russian locomotive inside a railway depot.
The second, most recent attack happened overnight on March 5-6 in Voronezh, a city in southwestern Russia about 279 kilometers from Kharkiv. Ukraine’s intelligence agency confirmed that this particular locomotive was used to transport weapons and military equipment from Russian factories to occupied Ukrainian territories. Hromadske shared footage of both attacks on X.
Ukraine’s Attack: A USD 13 Million Train Set Ablaze
This was far from the first Ukrainian strike on Russian railway assets. Petro Andriushchenko, an advisor to the exiled mayor of Mariupol, reported on December 30, 2024, that Ukrainian partisans set fire to two Russian locomotives. Andriushchenko also revealed on Telegram that the attack targeted a newly repaired EP2D-0014 electric train, which Russia had planned to send to occupied territories. However, Ukrainian saboteurs struck first. The damage from this single train alone amounted to 50 million rubles (EUR 540,000).
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Ukraine Targets Russian Fuel Train
Sixteen days earlier, on December 14, 2024, Ukraine’s armed forces and intelligence services struck a Russian train transporting fuel tankers. According to the Ukrainian outlet Militarnyi, the attack took place in the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia region. The operation began with explosives destroying a section of railway track, forcing the train to stop. It was then hit by drone strikes before being finished off with HIMARS rocket fire. The attack destroyed the locomotive and 40 fuel tankers, causing USD 4 million (EUR 3.7 million) in damages. Ukraine also temporarily blocked a crucial railway route that Russia used to transport fuel from Crimea.
Attacks on Railways and Bridges
Beyond targeting trains, Ukraine has also escalated attacks on railway infrastructure. According to The Kyiv Independent, Ukrainian partisan group Atesh carried out a sabotage mission on March 9, 2025, in the Dzhankoy district of Crimea. The operation targeted a railway signaling system, with Atesh operatives setting fire to a relay cabinet, as shown in a Telegram video.
Rail bridges are also prime targets. In August 2024, Ukrainian forces destroyed the Seim River bridge near Karyzh, Kursk region, as reported by Czech Television. This was the third and final key bridge in the area, dealing a major blow to Russia’s logistics. It followed the destruction of two other bridges near Zvannoye and Glushkovo, which Russia used for supply routes.
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Sources: Hromadske; Petro Andriushchenko on Telegram; Militarnyi