KYIV — Russia is deliberately targeting Ukraine’s key railway junctions in a bid to destroy the country’s main transportation artery, according to Ukrainian authorities.

“The enemy tried to disable substations that power the railway network with a massive drone attack this night,” Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Oleksii Kuleba said in a post on Facebook published early Wednesday.

“Such strikes have a clear goal — to complicate the transportation of passengers and cargo, disrupt the stable operation of transport, and create additional pressure on people and the economy,” Kuleba added.

Since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in 2022, Ukraine has banned air transportation for security reasons. Railways have become the key channels keeping the country running and connected to the EU.

According to Kuleba, some 20 trains were in transit when Russia launched its massive overnight attack on the railways of eastern Ukraine. While no one was injured, 26 trains have been delayed in the Dnipro and Odesa regions due to the attacks. Passengers on board the trains reported they had been stuck for more than five hours as a result of the strikes.

“Another night, another complex attack on Ukraine’s railways,” said Oleksandr Pertsovskyi, head of the board at Ukrainian Railways.  

The Russian army has since August been targeting railway infrastructure around Ukraine, which Kyiv uses for civilian but also cargo transportation, in a bid to destroy key junctions, Pertsovskyi told Ukrainian state news agency Ukrinform on Tuesday.

“Drones are massively attacking our key stations. Examples are attacks on Lozova station, Synelnykovo, and Kozyatyn stations … they are attacking hub stations practically all over the country,” Pertsovskyi said.

The attacks are complex, targeting power substations, locomotive depots and passenger stations. “The enemy is attacking in such a way that, in fact, the hub is destroyed,” Pertsovskyi said.