Ukraine Increases Drone Strikes On Russian Military And Oil Trains

Image capture from a video released on social media showing the feeds from a swarm of Ukrainian drones striking a Russian fuel train in Zaporizhzhia. The video was posted on August 20, 2025.

Social Media Capture

Since early summer, Ukraine has been carrying out a series of drone strikes against targets deep inside Russian territory. While much of the attention has centered on attacks against military depots, factories, and refineries, Ukraine has also increased strikes on Russian trains, particularly those carrying oil and military equipment. These attacks are significant given the central role that trains play in the Russian military and economy, as well as their vulnerability to drone strikes. The pace of these strikes has accelerated in recent months, having a direct impact on both the Russian military and the broader economy.

Ukrainian Drone Strikes On Russian Trains

Trains have been a common target for both sides throughout the war, especially those used for military resupply. Earlier this year, Ukraine developed advanced strike drones with greater range, enabling them to hit targets deeper inside Russia and in Russian-controlled territory. With these drones, Ukraine expanded its attacks on Russian trains over the summer as part of its broader strategic drone strike campaign.

While not all train attacks have been documented, Ukrainian sources have released several videos showing strikes on Russian trains. In July, Ukrainian drones destroyed a train carrying fuel, lubricants, and military equipment in Rostov Oblast, forcing authorities to suspend rail traffic. In August, the tempo increased, including a strike near Tokmak that derailed a fuel train and disrupted a key supply route into Crimea, in addition to a strike on a fuel train near Dzhankoi in occupied Crimea. Ukrainian units further released drone footage showing multiple strikes in the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia sector, where several trains were destroyed or disabled.

Along with these attacks on trains, Ukraine has also launched a series of drone strikes against supporting rail infrastructure. In early August, a strike damaged the railway station building in the Volgograd region, sparking fires and disrupting traffic through a key node in Russia’s logistics network. Days later, strikes on the Surovikino railway station in the same region forced further suspensions of military cargo flows. These attacks on hubs have further reduced Russia’s ability to transport goods by rail, directly undermining both military operations and the broader economy.

The Importance Of Trains To The Russian Military and Economy

Trains play a critical role in sustaining Russian military operations. Militaries require a steady flow of supplies, including ammunition, fuel, and heavy equipment, to maintain their tempo on the battlefield. These demands have grown as Russia has deployed more soldiers into Ukraine during its summer offensive. Rail transport allows the rapid movement of large quantities of resupply across long distances. Throughout the war, Russian logistics have relied heavily on railway networks running into occupied territories, with fuel trains in particular essential for powering armored vehicles and artillery systems. As a result, Ukraine’s strikes on these trains have had a direct impact on Russia’s ability to sustain operations at the front.

The importance of rail transport extends beyond the military to the broader Russian economy. Given the country’s vast size, Russia relies on its extensive rail network to move goods, natural resources, and industrial products across long distances. Railways link remote oil and gas fields, mining regions, and agricultural zones with processing centers and export hubs, making them essential for both domestic distribution and international trade. They are particularly critical for transporting oil, the backbone of the Russian economy. As Ukraine expands their deep strike capabilities, the extensive rail network used for transporting oil and other goods will be increasingly targeted, similar to how Ukraine is currently targeting oil refineries.

The Vulnerability Of Russian Trains To Ukrainian Drone Strikes

Despite their importance, Russian trains are inherently vulnerable to Ukrainian drone strikes. Trains in general are easy drone targets since they are large targets that follow linear routes along fixed tracks. Train routes and schedules can often be deduced through open-source intelligence. While in motion, a well-placed strike can derail cars, destroy cargo, and damage the tracks, especially when the train is carrying large amounts of oil. Protecting moving trains is difficult because they cannot shelter in hardened structures or use the fixed air defense assets that protect stationary depots or refineries.

These vulnerabilities align closely with the capabilities of newer Ukrainian strike drones. Newer systems, such as recent versions of the Liutyi strike drone, include autonomy and advanced sensing, reducing the need for direct human control during the final approach. They can use GPS to navigate to rail lines at times when military or fuel trains are likely to be present. Once a train is located, onboard AI supports the terminal approach and guides strikes to the most vulnerable points, maximizing the effect of a limited explosive payload. When coordinated across multiple drones, these attacks can inflict substantial damage and even destroy an entire train.

Russian Efforts To Protect Their Trains From Drone Strikes

Given the impact these attacks are having on its military and economy, Russia is developing counter-drone measures to protect its trains. Videos posted on social media show Ukrainian locomotives fitted with counter-drone nets; Russia is likely adopting similar nets to protect their trains. While more sophisticated protections are developed, Russia may run trains at irregular times and take less direct routes to reduce predictability. It may also spread cargo across multiple trains to limit losses from any single attack.

In the longer term, Russia will need to equip its trains with counter-drone systems. However, its standard electronic warfare suites will have limited effectiveness against newer Ukrainian drones that rely less on command signals. To address this, trains may be outfitted with kinetic defenses such as interceptor drones or mobile air-defense platforms capable of detecting, tracking, and shooting down incoming drones. Implementing these measures will be costly and require significant time.

As these countermeasures are implemented, Ukraine will continue launching drone strikes against Russian trains as part of its broader strategic campaign. These attacks disrupt the Russian offensive by limiting the resupply of forces while also exerting economic pressure by damaging key infrastructure. By exploiting this critical vulnerability in both the Russian military and economy, Ukraine can reduce Russian military effectiveness and increase pressure on Moscow to consider negotiations.