(Kyiv, November 10, 2026) – Escalating Russian drone attacks on passenger trains and other railway vehicles in Ukraine have killed and injured civilians, including railway workers, and increasingly threaten a transportation system that millions of Ukrainians depend on, Human Rights Watch said today.
Since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022, Ukraine’s state railway company, Ukrzaliznytsia, has evacuated more than 4 million people by train from areas under attack, while maintaining essential transportation links for civilians across the country.
“For millions of Ukraine’s civilians, trains are a lifeline, enabling them to escape danger, reunite with family members, and access essential services including medical care,” said Belkis Wille, associate crisis, conflict and arms director at Human Rights Watch. “The increasing Russian drone attacks on passenger trains put civilian lives at risk, threatening a transportation system many depend on for safety and survival.”
Human Rights Watch investigated three Russian drone attacks on trains and railway equipment between March and September 2026. Researchers interviewed railway workers and a passenger and examined photographs and videos of the attacks and their aftermath, including footage published by the Russian Defense Ministry and Russian military-affiliated Telegram channels.
In 2026, the attacks have increased, including one on January 27, when a Russian drone struck a passenger train carrying 292 people in Kharkivska region, killing five civilians and injuring two others, according to Ukrainian authorities.
A Russian drone strike on March 2 on a moving passenger train travelling from Nikopol toward Kryvyi Rih killed a civilian and injured at least six others.
On August 6, a Russian drone struck railway equipment and facilities near Lozova station in Kharkivska region, killing 2 railway workers and injuring 11 civilians.
On August 13, a Russian drone hit a locomotive—the engine car—attached to a passenger train near Buialyk station in Odeska region, killing the train driver, Vasyl Morozov, 50, and his assistant, Ivan Shevchyk, 41. A second drone hit a replacement diesel locomotive dispatched several hours later to move the damaged train to Odesa city.
Beyond the physical damage, railway workers described mounting psychological strain as attacks and emergency evacuations became increasingly frequent throughout the year. The conductor of the train attacked on August 13 said family members have urged her to leave the profession because of the dangers, and the deputy train manager said his children asked him to stop working on trains.
Railway staff said the growing threat prompted changes to safety protocols in mid-2026, including more precautionary stops during which railway staff direct passengers to leave a train for minutes or hours before they can continue their journey. Train staff interviewed said that as of September, they were conducting multiple evacuations on every route. Oleksandr Shevchenko, deputy head of passenger services at Ukrzaliznytsia, told Human Rights Watch that during September, passengers were evacuated from 15 trains shortly before Russian attacks struck those trains.
The repeated attacks have also strained Ukrzaliznytsia’s ability to maintain services and replace damaged equipment. Shevchenko said Russian forces had damaged or destroyed more than 500 locomotives since 2022, including more than 300 in 2026 alone. With limited domestic manufacturing capacity, replacing damaged locomotives and other railway vehicles has become increasingly difficult, he said. The railway also operates medical evacuation and diplomatic train services with its remaining equipment.
The United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) documented a sharp increase in Russian attacks on railway infrastructure between mid-2025 and mid-2026. From June to November 2025, OHCHR verified 78 Russian attacks on railway infrastructure. Between December 2025 and May 2026, it verified 142 Russian attacks, an 82 percent increase compared to the preceding 6 months. From June to September 2026, OHCHR verified another 130 Russian attacks. The strikes damaged railway tracks, stations, locomotives, railway energy infrastructure, and passenger trains, threatening essential civilian transportation and evacuation services.
Russian authorities and pro-Russian media have also stated that Ukraine has attacked passenger trains in Russia and Russian-occupied areas of Ukraine. OHCHR verified two attacks on railway infrastructure in Russian-occupied territory between December 2025 and May 2026. From June to September 2026, OHCHR verified another 11 Ukrainian attacks on railway infrastructure in the Russian-occupied regions of Donetsk, Luhansk, and Crimea. Human Rights Watch examined one Ukrainian attack on a train in Crimea.
Under international humanitarian law, parties to an armed conflict must distinguish between civilian objects and military objectives. Civilian passenger trains, railway stations, and railway equipment used for civilian purposes may not be deliberately targeted.
Warring parties should cease disproportionate and deliberate attacks on civilian trains and railway facilities and should investigate attacks that may have unlawfully targeted civilian objects, Human Rights Watch said. Ukraine’s international partners should continue supporting measures to protect civilians and critical civilian transportation networks from attack.
“Russian forces’ intensifying attacks on railways are placing civilians in peril,” Wille said. “Railway workers are risking their lives to evacuate civilians multiple times in a single journey, with warnings only minutes before a strike.”
For more details on the individual attacks on trains and relevant international humanitarian law, please see below.
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