Russian drones are stalking Ukrainian trains and trying to hobble the country's rail system
At least 1 person was killed and 7 were injured after the latest strike on a train in the Kharkiv region
asserted
7 → stalk → region
When railworkers aboard a train travelling between the Ukrainian cities of Odesa and Dnipro began shouting at passengers to evacuate the carriages early Thursday, Anastasia Rybalchenko's mind immediately began racing through worst-case scenarios.
It was 4 a.m., an air-raid alert was in effect, and Russian drones had already struck a number of Ukrainian trains that week, including one just a few kilometres from the Polish border.
asserted
drones → travel → border
Rybalchenko, 17, and other sleepy passengers exited the train and trudged through the grass in a rural area that was about a 15-minute ride from her final destination, Kropyvnytskyi.
asserted
that → exit → destination
When she was about 200 to 300 metres from the tracks, she put down a blanket and sat on the ground.
asserted
she → put → ground
Rybalchenko drifted in and out of sleep while waiting for the all-clear to return to the train.
asserted
clear → drift → train
But about two hours later, she was abruptly jolted awake by the sound of something whooshing overhead, followed by a series of explosions.
asserted
she → jolt → explosions
"We started running into the bushes and hiding," she said in a phone interview with CBC News from her home in Kropyvnytskyi.
asserted
she → start → Kropyvnytskyi
"My heart was pounding like crazy.
asserted
heart → pound → ?
I didn't understand what was happening or what to do."
asserted
what → understand → what
She quickly learned that it wasn't her train that was on fire, but infrastructure along the railway line.
asserted
that → learn → line
In recent weeks, Russia has stepped up strikes on Ukraine's rail network, targeting trains and the approximately 20,000 kilometres of track that form a key transportation artery across the country.
asserted
that → step → country
With Ukrainian airspace closed, the rail network carries passengers across the country, and in some cases, across the border into Poland.
asserted
network → close → Poland
With shipping in the Black Sea under constant threat, the rail network is also a key corridor for supplies and goods, including grain and aid.
asserted
network → include → grain
Russian drones hit bus, train in Ukraine, killing 5: officials
Ukraine has been trying to bring the war to Russia.
asserted
Ukraine → hit → Russia
More Russians are beginning to feel it
Earlier in the war, Ukrainian Railways frequently highlighted its ability to keep most trains running on schedule despite Russia's full-scale invasion.
asserted
Railways → begin → invasion
Now, the network is facing multi-hour delays, while new rules approved by the government Thursday prohibit passengers from boarding or disembarking during a red alert, which indicates a threat of a missile attack.
asserted
which → face → attack
Russia's Foreign Ministry insists that railway hubs serving Ukraine's military are legitimate targets, while other Russian officials specifically claim that the attacks are on infrastructure related to the shipment of military cargo from Europe.
But Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says the deadly attacks are part of the Kremlin's strategy to destroy the country's economy and disrupt daily life.
uncertain
attacks → insist → life
Mounting risk
This year, two dozen railway workers have been killed and more than 80 injured.
asserted
80 → mount → risk
On Friday morning, at least one person was killed and seven others injured when a drone struck a train in the Kharkiv region.
asserted
drone → kill → region
Officials with Ukrainian Railways said some of those injured were passengers who had not moved far enough away from the train during the evacuation.
asserted
who → say → evacuation
In a statement, the rail operator said people need to stay 200 metres away from trains and railway infrastructure.
asserted
people → say → trains
Russia has intensified its attacks on Ukraine's rail network by launching jet-powered drones, which can travel at speeds of up to 600 kilometres per hour and carry heavier payloads than earlier models.
asserted
which → intensify → models
Ukrainian officials say Russia is mass-producing the drones, churning out as many as 3,000 a month and that the drones' speed makes them more difficult to intercept.
asserted
them → say → 3,000
Earlier this week, Zelenskyy chaired a meeting that looked at how to bolster the protection of the country's railway network, and also replenish its stock of damaged cars.
asserted
that → chair → cars
Officials say around 300 locomotives and 120 passenger carriages were struck so far this year.
asserted
locomotives → say → ?
Drone attack close to Polish border
It was a jet-powered drone that struck a locomotive on Sunday while the train was parked a few kilometres from the Polish border.
asserted
train → power → border
Shortly before that strike, a train carrying former British prime minister Boris Johnson and other diplomats travelled through the same area before crossing into Poland.
asserted
train → carry → Poland
Western Ukraine is typically far removed from the bulk of Russian strikes.
asserted
Ukraine → remove → strikes
But this week, Poland was forced to close two of its airports several times because of Russian drones near its borders.
asserted
Poland → force → borders
Yulia Zaletska, 40, a train steward who has worked on Ukrainian trains since 2017, described heightened tension among railway staff and passengers.
asserted
who → work → staff
"There are a lot of emotions, but you have to control yourself, because we are responsible for a large number of people," she told CBC News while working aboard a train travelling from Lviv to Kyiv.
asserted
she → be → Kyiv
She said she now frequently gets stress headaches before taking what she considers more dangerous routes in the eastern part of the country.
asserted
she → say → country
On one journey to Dnipro, she said she had to evacuate passengers five separate times.
asserted
she → say → passengers
Conductor Andrii Hul' explained that a team at Ukrainian Railways monitors ongoing threats and, when necessary, makes the decision to stop a train.
asserted
team → explain → train
Information is then communicated to the conductor, who must also help determine where it is safe to stop.
asserted
it → communicate → conductor
Hul' considers himself lucky as he has not yet had to carry out an evacuation, but the 20-year veteran of Ukraine's railways says the intensifying attacks are taking a toll.
asserted
attacks → consider → toll
He frequently spends nights sleeping in a shelter during air raids, only to get up in the morning and drive a train.
asserted
He → spend → train
"What would we do without the railway?" he said.
asserted
he → do → railway
"I would say it would be very difficult for people to get through this, because there are places where the railway is the only means of transport available to people."
asserted
railway → say → people
For Rybalchenko, still shaken by Thursday's evacuation and the explosions, she says she will stick to travelling by car or bus in the future.
asserted
she → shake → future
…and 2 more, not listed.
The Aporia
