Russia makes more precise drones, using them to attack Ukraine's vital rail network

When Russian drones smashed into the Shostka train station in northeastern Ukraine earlier this month they killed a 71yearold man injured at least eight people and left train cars buckled by fire and riddled with shrapnel holesIt was one of the latest examples of what Ukrainian officials say has been a surge since midsummer in attacks on railways a critical artery for commercial and military logisticsThey are part of Russias broader targeting of infrastructure that now is being carried out with greater precision thanks to advances in longrange drone technology that include onboard video feedIn the attack in Shostka less than 70 km from the Russian border two explosivesladen drones struck two commuter trains in quick successionRussia has stepped up railway attacks over the past three months seeking to sow unrest in Ukrainian regions it borders by depriving people there of rail connections Oleksandr Pertsovskyi the CEO of the Ukrainian state railway told The Associated PressWhat happens is not just about the quantity its also the approach of enemy forces Now as they have very precise Shahed drones they are targeting individual locomotives Pertsovskyi saidAttacks have picked up paceUkrainian railway managers have prided themselves on speedy repairs and their ability so far to keep the trains running despite repeated strikes but officials and analysts warn that advances in Russian drone capabilities and the growing tempo of attacks pose a serious threatSince the start of Russias fullscale invasion in early 2022 railway officials have publicly reported about roughly one attack on railways per week Since midsummer of this year that rate has more than doubled to about two or three per week according to an AP review of public reportsHowever what is publicly reported is only a small fraction of the overall number of attacks on all railrelated infrastructure which could include damage to power lines electrical substation rail tracks train stations and other structuresOleksii Kuleba a deputy prime minister in charge of restoration and development said there have been 300 attacks on railway infrastructure since August alone which would represent about 10 attacks per weekUkraines rail network carries more than 6337 of the countrys freight and 37 per cent of passenger traffic according to the State Statistics Service It is also essential for moving grain and metal industry exports to seaports and borders and for transporting military aid from allied nationsRussia developing new drone capabilitiesRussian forces have added a key upgrade to their drone fleet since the summer according to Serhii Beskrestnov a Ukrainian military and drone expert whose team studies intercepted Russian dronesCameras and radio modems which send and receive data wirelessly have been fitted to various types of longrange strike drones That allows operators to adjust a drones flight path in real time sharply increasing precision compared to preprogrammed modelsBeskrestnov said locomotives are particularly vulnerable to the new technology because they are relatively slow and follow predictable routesIf the Russians keep hitting diesel and electric locomotives the time will come very soon when the track will still be intact but well have nothing left to run on it he saidThe modified drones can fly up to 200 km into Ukrainian territory while streaming video back to operators in Russianheld areas Beskrestnov saidAn official at Ukraines Defence Ministry speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to speak to reporters said Ukrainian forces also have recovered and examined a Gerantype drone fitted with a civilian camera and radio modem The Geran is a Russian variant of the Iraniandesigned ShahedThe official said the findings suggest that Moscow is actively testing and refining new technical solutionsHe said the cameras also allow Russian operators to identify Ukrainian air defence systems and assess damage on the groundExpress repairs keep the country runningThroughout the war Russian drones and missiles have repeatedly targeted railway infrastructure mostly in regions near the front line In March the rail operator also endured a major cyberattack that disrupted online ticketing and other services for a weekUkraines repair crews are racing to match the pace of Russian strikes Piles of debris from missile attacks are cleared within hours and utility teams typically restore power and water within a day after most strikes on Kyiv and other citiesRail crews operate on a similar timeline In Kyiv railway repair team leader Maksym Shevchuk 30 recalled the day a missile destroyed 12 metres of track Traffic on the track was fully restored in half a day he saidFreight volumes carried by rail from January through August 2025 dropped 117 per cent year over year while passenger traffic declined by 42 per cent according to the State Statistics Service which has not stated a reason for the declineNataliia Kolesnichenko senior economist at the Kyivbased Centre for Economic Strategy described the impact so far as negative but marginal crediting rapid repair work and train rerouting that keeps delays to a minimumPertsovskyi said staff take pride in keeping trains moving despite the strikes For us it is paramount to show Ukrainians and the enemy that these attacks are not going to bring the expected results he saidThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever