Train targeting Russia is bombing railroads to prevent Western weapons from reaching Ukraine
In recent months, the Russian military has begun using a new strategy to hinder Western weapons shipments to Ukraine: drone strikes on railway infrastructure. According to a Ukrainian Railways spokesperson, Moscow’s targets have included major railway junctions, electrical substations, locomotive depots, and passenger stations. “The enemy is striking in a way that essentially disables the entire hub,” the company’s head said. Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin has no intention of scaling back his attacks on civilian infrastructure, Bloomberg has reported, citing sources close to the Kremlin. Meduza shares a translation of a report by the outlet iStories examining the impact of the strikes and their implications for Ukraine’s defense efforts.
The impact on Ukraine’s rail transport
Ukrainian officials have reported major delays in passenger train services following Russia’s strikes. After a heavy overnight attack on September 17, dozens of trains were delayed; some were rerouted, and diesel locomotives were deployed to operate on sections of track left without power. Other strikes have targeted a station in the Dnipropetrovsk region, a high-speed train yard, and a bridge over the Dnipro River in Kremenchuk, where only car traffic has been restored so far.
On September 14, a train carrying ammunition exploded in the Kyiv region. According to local authorities, the blast was not the result of a Russian airstrike. Police have launched an investigation into a possible breach of railway safety protocols.
According to Ukrainian military analyst Oleh Zhdanov, the main objective of the Russian strikes is to disrupt the logistics of Ukraine’s Armed Forces. The country relies heavily on Western weapons deliveries, which are transported from its western border to the front lines — primarily by rail.
“Ukraine has a very extensive rail network, and blocking it completely would be extremely difficult,” said Russian military expert Kirill Mikhailov. At the same time, he added, drones and their ammunition can be moved by road, while heavy equipment is much easier to deliver by rail, as the fleet of trailers capable of carrying Western hardware is very limited.
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How Western weapons reach Ukraine
When Russia’s full-scale invasion began and Ukraine’s partners started supplying weapons, there was an urgent need for a system to coordinate logistics. By March 2022, two teams of military specialists — one American, one British — had taken on the task. They soon merged to form the International Donor Coordination Center (IDCC), a joint logistics hub. Initially based in Poland, the center later moved to Stuttgart, Germany, and in August 2022, it permanently relocated to the U.S. military base in Wiesbaden.
“We’re like a matchmaking service,” said one officer who served at the IDCC. On one side, the center received detailed requests from Ukraine for weapons and equipment. On the other, it collected offers from allied countries outlining what they were prepared to provide. In straightforward cases, the IDCC arranged for weapons to be flown to Ukraine’s border, where Ukrainian forces would collect them. Larger or heavier equipment — such as tanks, air defense systems, or certain artillery units — had to be delivered by rail or sea.
For some weapons systems, Ukrainian troops had to undergo training in Europe, and the IDCC also coordinated those programs. In one such case, the U.K. supplied howitzers, New Zealand provided spare parts and trainers, and the U.S. contributed ammunition and managed transportation to Ukraine’s border, according to officers familiar with the process.
The center also oversees repairs for damaged equipment. Minor fixes are often carried out by Ukrainian crews with remote support via video link. More serious cases require the equipment to be shipped back to Europe for repairs at specialized facilities in Poland, Lithuania, and Slovakia.
For most of the war, the Wiesbaden-based logistics hub was led by the U.S. military. But in December 2024, following Donald Trump’s re-election, NATO assumed command of the operation. The shift was aimed at reducing reliance on the U.S. in case Washington decided to significantly scale back or end military aid to Ukraine. A new structure within the IDCC was created to continue managing all logistical operations.
Most Western military equipment enters Ukraine through the Jasionka military base near the Polish city of Rzeszów, just 80 kilometers (50 miles) from the Ukrainian border. Adjacent to the base is Rzeszów Airport, which before the war mainly served low-cost carriers. One of its runways is long enough to accommodate heavy cargo planes — a key factor in its selection as the main transit hub for allied weapons deliveries.
At various points, estimates suggested that 80, 90, or even 95 percent of military aid to Ukraine passed through Poland, with the majority routed via Rzeszów Airport. However, military expert Pavel Luzin believes Ukraine is no longer as dependent on that single corridor. “Rzeszów is still important, but not to the same extent,” he told iStories.
In the early days of Russia’s full-scale invasion, there were serious concerns among Ukraine’s allies about the risk of Russian airstrikes on the base and airport. During the first months of the war, the area’s skies were actively patrolled, and Patriot missile defense systems were later deployed there. “I think there’s a launcher every 100 square meters [about 1,070 square feet],” journalist Arkady Babchenko wrote after a Russian drone attack on Poland on September 10. According to German media, at least five drones were reportedly heading toward Rzeszów.
Some weapons shipments arrive at the Polish hub by rail or road. The exact routes are classified and frequently altered. Railroads are especially critical for transporting heavy equipment shipped to Europe by sea. For example, the U.K. sends armored vehicles and artillery across the English Channel, after which they are loaded onto trains. This past summer, Australia delivered 49 tanks to Ukraine using a similar sea-based route.
Europe’s rail networks are far less suited to military transport than Russia’s. Many bridges can’t support the necessary weight, rail curves are too tight, tunnels are too narrow, and trackside signage is often placed too close to allow for oversized military cargo. Similarly, most European roads and bridges built after World War II were not designed to accommodate heavy military convoys.
Another complication is the lack of standardized military transport regulations across E.U. member states. In 2022, for example, a NATO tank convoy traveling from France to Romania was delayed in Germany because the vehicles exceeded national weight limits. In response, European countries have begun adopting unified transport standards across multiple countries. The first such corridor runs from the Netherlands through Germany to Poland.
Beyond Poland, two other countries bordering Ukraine have also served as transit routes for weapons deliveries, the Wiesbaden logistics center reported in 2023. NATO later announced plans to further develop logistics hubs in Romania and Slovakia. In Slovakia, just 40 kilometers (25 miles) from the Ukrainian border, a repair facility has begun servicing damaged equipment.
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