When train workers on a journey between Odesa and Dnipro in Ukraine urgently told passengers to leave the train early Thursday, Anastasia Rybalchenko’s mind raced through various worst-case scenarios.
At 4 a.m., with an air-raid warning in place and reports of Russian drones targeting Ukrainian trains that week, including one near the Polish border, the situation was tense.
Seventeen-year-old Rybalchenko and other passengers got off the train and walked through a rural area about a 15-minute ride from her final stop in Kropyvnytskyi. She settled about 200 to 300 meters away from the tracks, laying down a blanket to sit on the ground.
While waiting for clearance to return to the train, Rybalchenko drifted in and out of sleep. Suddenly, about two hours later, she was startled awake by the sound of something flying overhead, followed by explosions.
“We ran into the bushes and hid,” she recounted during a phone interview with CBC News from her home in Kropyvnytskyi.
“My heart was pounding uncontrollably. I was confused about what was happening and what to do.”
She soon realized that it was not her train under attack, but rather infrastructure along the railway line.
One of Russia’s key targets
Recently, Russia has increased its strikes on Ukraine’s rail system, focusing on trains and the approximately 20,000 kilometers of tracks crucial for transportation across the country.
With Ukrainian airspace shut down, the rail network plays a vital role in moving passengers within the country and sometimes into Poland. Given the constant threats to shipping in the Black Sea, the railway system is also crucial for transporting supplies and goods, such as grain and aid.
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Initially, Ukrainian Railways boasted about maintaining train schedules despite Russia’s invasion. However, the network is now experiencing significant delays, with new regulations prohibiting passenger boarding or disembarkation during a red alert, signifying a missile threat.
Russia’s Foreign Ministry justifies targeting railway hubs serving Ukraine’s military, while other Russian officials claim the attacks aim at infrastructure linked to the transport of military cargo from Europe.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy asserts that these deadly attacks are part of the Kremlin’s strategy to cripple the nation’s economy and disrupt daily life.
