Russia Steps Up Deadly Attacks on Ukraine’s Passenger Trains

Russian forces have intensified attacks on Ukrainian passenger trains and railway infrastructure, killing people and injuring dozens in strikes on four trains over two days.The attacks showcase the growing danger of traveling by rail in Ukraine, where trains remain essential for moving civilians, aid, and goods while commercial airspace is closed because of Russia’s war.JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official. Three trains came under Russian strikes today: the Kyiv–Sumy and Dnipro–Zaporizhzhia passenger trains, and a suburban train in Sumy region.All three trains were evacuated. On the suburban train, some passengers suffered shrapnel wounds while evacuating. pic.twitter.com/bcYxwrr10g— Ukrainian railways || Укрзалізниця (@Ukrzaliznytsia) September 8, 2026 In Kyiv, drone alerts can continue for hours, sometimes beginning overnight, alongside missile attacks, and lasting into the following day.Trains are delayed, passengers at railway stations are directed to underground shelters, and services may be suspended until the danger passes.When monitoring teams detect a direct threat to a train already in transit, railway workers may stop it and order passengers to leave the carriages immediately, even if the train is in a field, forest, or another remote location. Russian attack forced another train evacuation, but journalist Yan Dobronosov noted a clear shift from previous onesPassengers moved away from the train to a safe distance immediately this time, fearing for their lives📷 Yan Dobronosov pic.twitter.com/iytD0eLFB5— Euromaidan Press (@EuromaidanPress) September 5, 2026 Such evacuations can appear counterintuitive to people outside Ukraine. However, Russian drones are now deliberately pursuing trains. A direct hit can ignite a locomotive or passenger carriage within minutes, leaving those inside little time to escape.The purpose of abandoning train carriages is to put as much distance as possible between individuals and the train, which may be the intended target. Russian forces attacked a suburban passenger train operating on the #Kharkiv – #Izium route, injuring seven people, including passengers and railway workers.Ukrzaliznytsia reports that the train was quickly stopped to ensure a safe evacuation, preventing shrapnel from… pic.twitter.com/twxvyXNyzy— UkraineWorld (@ukraine_world) September 9, 2026 On Tuesday, Russian drones attacked a Kyiv-Sumy passenger train in the northern Sumy region.A monitoring team warned the crew that drones were approaching, allowing about 90 passengers and railway workers to evacuate before the strike occurred, according to Ukrainian officials. Other Topics of Interest Ukraine Hits 8 Russian War Sites From Arctic to Caspian FP-1 drones reportedly hit Russia’s only ice-free deep-water Caspian port, a route used to deliver Iranian Shaheds. Images released by Ukraine’s State Emergency Service showed that the locomotive was hit and caught fire. Sumy regional Gov. Oleh Hryhorov said two women injured in the attack had died in a hospital, while two other people remained in serious condition.Russian forces also attacked a Dnipro-Zaporizhzhia passenger train Tuesday morning.The train had been stopped and its passengers evacuated before the strike. However, a female train attendant was killed after returning to the train following the evacuation order, according to Ukrainian Railways. The Russians struck a Dnipro–Zaporizhzhia passenger train.There is currently no contact with one of the train attendants. She returned to the carriages despite the evacuation. pic.twitter.com/5N2LU7h3Ip— Saint Javelin (@saintjavelin) September 8, 2026 Emergency workers said two passenger carriages caught fire, while remaining passengers had been moved to safety.Later on Tuesday, Russian drones struck a suburban diesel train in the Sumy region. The attack set a locomotive and passenger carriage on fire and injured at least 10 people, according to preliminary official figures.Ukrainian officials said the train had come under consecutive strikes.On Wednesday, Russian jet-powered drones attacked a railway station in the Izium district of the eastern Kharkiv region.Two carriages of a passenger electric train caught fire, and eight people were injured, according to regional authorities.The four incidents left three people dead and at least 20 injured over two days.Ukrainian Railways chief Oleksandr Pertsovskyi described Russia’s actions as a “horrific hunt” for passenger trains and urged travelers to follow evacuation instructions immediately.The latest attacks follow a series of Russian strikes against trains, depots, bridges, and major railway junctions across Ukraine since the beginning of September.Attacks on railway infrastructureOn Sept. 1, a railway depot was among the sites hit during a large-scale Russian attack on Kyiv, with President Volodymyr Zelensky reporting seven people killed in the wider attack.Russia’s defense ministry said it had targeted the Darnytsia locomotive depot, describing it as a key maintenance point for locomotives used to deliver military cargo.Russian forces later struck a bridge in Kramatorsk with aerial bombs and attacked railway equipment that Moscow claimed was also being used to transport military supplies.Ukraine’s railway system continues operating despite repeated attacks and prolonged air raid alerts. Services are frequently delayed, rerouted, or temporarily halted, while damaged locomotives, tracks, and power systems are repaired.For passengers, journeys increasingly depend not only on schedules but also on drone-monitoring reports and rapid evacuation orders.