Russia Bombs Railways in Ukraine Amid New Military Escalation

Ukrainian authorities announced this morning, Thursday September 18, 2025, that Russian forces launched a new attack targeting railway infrastructure in the Poltava region, in the center of the country, resulting in the injury of five people and causing fires, in addition to significant disruptions in train movement.

Poltava Governor Volodymyr Kohut stated via the "Telegram" app that the attack targeted the Mirhorod area, leading to the direct injury of one person due to the strikes, while a nighttime drone attack on a fuel station in the same area resulted in the injury of four others and a massive fire.

For its part, the company "Ukrzaliznytsia", the state-owned Ukrainian railway company, confirmed that the Russian attack caused a temporary power outage at several stations and led to train delays of up to 3 hours.

This was not the first attack of its kind, as Russia has intensified its strikes on vital Ukrainian infrastructure in recent months, particularly in the transportation sector.

Russian forces have targeted facilities and train stations in Kharkiv and Donetsk, in addition to disrupting railway movement in the Kirovohrad region.

The Ukrainian Air Force responded by announcing it shot down 48 drones out of 75 launched by Russia in recent hours, also reporting that the Russians conducted 26 drone attacks on 6 different Ukrainian sites.

In contrast, Moscow accused Ukrainian forces of launching violent attacks on the border province of Belgorod. The province's governor Vyacheslav Gladkov stated that more than 110 Ukrainian drones, along with over 50 artillery shells, targeted towns in the province yesterday, resulting in the death of one person and the injury of 7 others.

The Russian Ministry of Defense also announced that its air defense systems managed to destroy 43 Ukrainian drones over various areas, including the Crimean Peninsula, and the provinces of Rostov, Volgograd, Kursk, and Belgorod.

These developments come amid ongoing military escalation between the two sides, with increasing warnings about the impact of the strikes on civilian infrastructure and vital transportation in deep Ukraine and Russia.