Deadly Drone Strike on Passenger Train in Sumy Confirms Ukraine’s Claim: Russia Intensifies Railway Attacks to ‘Isolate Frontline Communities’

Ukraine is warning that Russia is systematically intensifying a campaign of air strikes against its railway network, a crucial civilian and military logistics artery, with the clear intent to isolate frontline communities as winter approaches. This urgent alarm was sounded on Saturday, October 4, 2025, following a deadly drone strike on a passenger train in the northeastern Sumy region.

The attack, which President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called “savage,” targeted a railway station in Shostka, a city approximately 50 kilometers from the Russian border. Ukrainian officials reported that the strike wounded dozens of people, with Zelenskyy confirming at least 30 victims, and later reports indicating one fatality, a 71-year-old man found in a wrecked carriage. Zelenskyy was adamant that Russia knew it was “striking civilians” and branded the attack as “terror the world must not ignore.”

Oleksandr Pertsovsky, the CEO of Ukrainian Railways (Ukrzaliznytsia), confirmed the dangerous escalation of attacks on the nation’s rail infrastructure. Speaking from a train heading toward the hit station in Shostka, he stated, “We clearly see the intensification of enemy attacks on the railway infrastructure.” He argued that the strikes have “no military purpose whatsoever,” asserting that the “only purpose is to sow panic among people… that the connection will be destroyed and people will be left alone.”

Pertsovsky highlighted the alarming frequency and precision of the strikes, noting there have been 40 major attacks on railway infrastructure since August, occurring “pretty much every other day.” He specifically warned that Russia is now deploying more precise Shahed (Iranian-designed) drones capable of “targeting individual locomotives” and critical energy infrastructure, making existing air defenses less effective.

The railway network has served as Ukraine’s essential lifeline for moving people, humanitarian aid, and military equipment since the start of the full-scale invasion in February 2022, with all civilian flights grounded. The systematic targeting of the rail and power grids is viewed by Kyiv as an attempt to weaponize the approaching cold weather, denying civilians heat, light, and stable transportation. Alongside the rail strikes, Russia also ramped up attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure on Saturday, cutting off power to approximately 50,000 households in the northern Chernigiv region.