Ukraine Intensifies The Drone Campaign Against Russian Rail Logistics
An update on a theme
“There is no more Russian rail service through occupied Zaporizhzhia,” Petro Andryushchenko, head of the Center for the Study of Occupation, wrote on Telegram Tuesday. Promising proof “when the sources are safe,” Andryushchenko had reported on Monday that a Russian train “has gone off the rails and is now being finished off by anything that can fly.🔥It burns beautifully.” He was as good as his word, the train did indeed burn beautifully. “Who asked why the Russians were hauling fuel and cars at night? That's why. To avoid such losses.”
On Sunday, Ukrainian military intelligence (HUR) credited the State Border Guard Service as well as the armed forces for a successful strike on Lisky station, “a key transportation hub for Russian military logistics” in the Voronezh region of Russia. The governor confirmed a strike had taken place, claiming that “debris” had caused fire damage to the station and reported one worker injured. Fourteen trains were reportedly delayed. Video of the strike as witnessed from a nearby shopping center was also posted to Telegram.
In a series of posts I started writing in June, that are currently unlocked, I explained that this vendetta against Russian trains seems to have started with access to intelligence that Ukraine had during the Kursk incursion. Railroads have built-in signalling systems that create vulnerabilities for intelligence and sabotage. This essay is unlocked:
As I started noting in June, there has been a strong uptick in Ukrainian attacks on Russian rail logistics since last August, with efforts redoubling in the spring of 2025. Vladimir Putin’s summer offensive has been derailed, especially in the south of Ukraine. While the usual fog of war prevents a complete understanding of events in occupied Zaporizhzhia, the completeness of the destruction of the fuel train on Monday definitely represents an intensification of effort. This is unlocked:
The ‘land bridge’ railroad that Putin wanted, that he invaded again in 2022 to build, connecting the east of Ukraine with Crimea, has turned out to be a fiasco. The new railroad lies within Ukrainian small UAV (s-UAV) range. Russian repair crews are swift, but they also expose themselves to attack by Ukrainian drones. Watch for the development of ‘double tap’ strikes that target the skilled labor needed to repair the railroads. You know, like Putin does with apartment blocks and first responders. This is unlocked:
Meanwhile, larger, longer-range drones are striking railroad targets inside Russia. The new Flamingo cruise missile, which has a range of 1,800 miles (3,000 km) and a 2,200-lb payload, should be able to destroy the locomotive, the train, and most of Lisky railyard in one strike. Many of Russia’s trains run on electric power that must be converted at substations which can be targeted and destroyed. Then there are partisans in Zaporizhzhia and Crimea who provide intelligence and conduct sabotage on critical infrastructure. This is unlocked:
These activities do not stop the trains from moving altogether, but they compound the more general crisis that is happening in Russian railroads right now with delays, lost locomotives and rolling stock, missed schedules and deliveries, etc. I just wrote about that two weeks ago, but the essay is still locked.
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