Russian drones smashed into the Shostka train station in northeastern Ukraine earlier this month.

They killed a 71-year-old man, injured at least eight people and left train cars buckled by fire and riddled with shrapnel holes.

It was one of the latest examples of what Ukrainian officials say has been a surge since mid-summer in attacks on railways.

Ukraine's rail network is a critical lifeline for commercial freight, passenger traffic and military logistics.

The increasing attacks are part of Russia's broader targeting of infrastructure that now is being carried out with greater precision thanks to advances in long-range drone technology that include on-board video feed.

Shostka train station was hit with a “double tap” strike — one explosive-laden drone followed immediately by another — to maximize damage and casualties, rail operator CEO Oleksandr Pertsovskyi told The Associated Press.

Russian forces, he said, had stepped up those tactics over the past three months.

The rail operator told AP that nearly 270 strikes had occurred since August.

A review of public announcements by rail and regional authorities regarding train system attacks since Jan.1 found nearly half occurred after mid-summer.

Since the start of Russia's so-called military campaign in early 2022, railway officials publicly reported about roughly one attack on railways per week.

But since mid-summer of this year, that rate more than doubled to about two or three per week, according to an AP review of public reports.

However, what is publicly reported is only a small fraction of the overall number of attacks on all rail-related infrastructure, which could include damage to power lines, electrical substation, rail tracks, train stations and other structures.

Ukraine’s rail network carries more than 63% of the country’s freight and 37% of passenger traffic, according to the State Statistics Service.

It is also essential for moving grain and metal industry exports to seaports and borders, and for transporting military aid from allied nations.

Trains continue to run despite repeated strikes, but freight volumes carried by rail from January through August 2025 dropped 11.7% year over year, while passenger traffic declined by 4.2%, according to the State Statistics Service.

Ukrainian officials and military analysts warn that advances in Russian drone capabilities and the growing tempo of attacks pose a more serious threat.

Experts who studied intercepted Russian drones believe that since the summer, Russian forces added an upgrade.

Cameras and radio modems — devices that send and receive data wirelessly — have been fitted to various types of long-range strike drones.

That allows operators to adjust a drone’s flight path in real time, sharply increasing precision compared to preprogrammed models.

The modified drones can fly deep into Ukrainian territory while streaming video back to operators in Russian-held areas.

In March, the rail operator also endured a major cyberattack that disrupted online ticketing and other services for a week.

Pertsovskyi said staff take pride in keeping trains moving, despite the strikes.

"Their goal is to stop the railway, our goal is to prevent the enemy from cancelling rail trips... no matter how difficult the situation, we do not cancel trips," he said.

AP video by Pavel Zarva and Vasilisa Stepanenko