Explainer | Why Russia is attacking Ukraine’s railway system
- Russia is using attacks on railway lines to try to interrupt the supply of Western weapons to Ukraine
- Some attacks occurred near Lviv, close to the Polish border, a major gateway for Nato-supplied weapons
A Russian official said the aim was to disrupt Western weapons deliveries. Experts say Ukraine’s railways appeared to be largely spared at the start of the invasion because Russian planners wanted them to move their own troops and arms across captured territory. The latest strikes still seem to seek more to damage than to destroy the system.
Here’s a look at the attacks, and their significance.
Why are railways so important for Ukraine?
The largely flat country has a vast railway network, which has proved invaluable from a military viewpoint for supplying key Western arms shipments – and has also helped in the exodus of refugees from Russian air assaults and land advances.
Western weaponry pouring into Ukraine helped its forces blunt Russia’s initial offensive. It also seems certain to play a central role in the battle for the Donbas in the east, which Moscow now says is its focus following its failure to take the capital, Kyiv.
The US and other Western allies have increased weapons shipments at the urging of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu warned that Moscow will see any Western transport carrying weapons into Ukraine as a legitimate target.