Russian Strikes Hit Railway Facilities in Fastiv and Lutsk

Russian strikes hit railway infrastructure in Fastiv, Kyiv region, and the western city of Lutsk on Saturday, Sept. 12, prompting emergency evacuations of passenger trains and operational personnel, state rail operator Ukrzaliznytsia reported. Ukrzaliznytsia Board Chairman Oleksandr Pertsovskyi confirmed the impacts on social media, stating that preemptive security procedures averted casualties.JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official. “The enemy is once again attacking the railway. As of now, there are hits in Lutsk and Fastiv,” Pertsovskyi stated. “Passengers were evacuated from the train in advance, and employees were evacuated from their workplaces. Everyone is safe.” Pertsovskyi noted that aerial threats remained active across several regions as groups of Russian Shahed attack drones continued to transit Ukrainian airspace. He warned that train schedules could face adjustments to safeguard passengers and rail crews. Service to Sumy truncated amid escalated rail attacks The strikes in Fastiv and Lutsk coincided with an operational announcement by Ukrzaliznytsia temporarily suspending direct passenger rail service to the northeastern regional capital of Sumy due to intensified Russian strikes targeting tracks and rolling stock in the border province. According to Suspilne, Ukrzaliznytsia announced that passenger trains on the Sumy axis will temporarily terminate and originate at Konotop, located roughly 130 kilometers northwest of Sumy. “Due to the increased intensity of attacks by the Russian Federation on railway infrastructure and rolling stock in Sumy region, trains will temporarily operate to and from Konotop station,” the state operator stated via Suspilne. Other Topics of Interest Ukraine Hits Russian Chemical Plants and Taganrog Drone Sites, Zelensky Says Ukrainian forces struck two chemical plants in Perm and Samara and targeted drone production and air defenses in Taganrog, officials said. To maintain regional mobility, the Sumy Regional Military Administration and the State Emergency Service (SES) established a multimodal transfer link, deploying bus shuttles to transport passengers between Konotop and Sumy. Ukrzaliznytsia advised travelers that transit schedules will be adjusted dynamically based on security conditions, with full direct service to resume once threat levels decrease. Deliberate targeting of passenger rail network The strikes in Fastiv, Lutsk, and across Sumy region follow a string of coordinated attacks against Ukrainian passenger trains earlier in the week, marking an escalation in Russian operations directed against civilian transport corridors. Between Sept. 8 and Sept. 9, Russian forces attacked four separate passenger trains in northern and eastern Ukraine, killing three people and injuring at least 20 others. On Sept. 8, Russian attack drones struck a Kyiv-Sumy passenger train in the Sumy region. Early warnings enabled approximately 90 passengers and crew members to evacuate before the locomotive was hit and caught fire; two injured women later died in the hospital. On the same day, an evacuation was ordered for a Dnipro-Zaporizhzhia passenger train before it was hit, though a female attendant was killed after re-entering the train. Later on Sept. 8, consecutive drone strikes hit a suburban diesel train in the Sumy region, injuring 10 civilians. On Sept. 9, Russian jet-powered drones struck a passenger electric train at a railway station in the Izium district of Kharkiv region, injuring eight people and setting two passenger cars ablaze. Pertsovskyi previously described the systematic assaults as a deliberate campaign against passenger rail traffic. Rail operations have served as the country’s primary transportation backbone since Ukraine closed its civil airspace following Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022. Kyiv Post is Ukraine’s first and oldest English news organization, reporting since 1995. Its international reach – 97% of readers are outside of Ukraine – make it truly Ukraine’s global voice.