Russian strikes nearly deplete Ukraine's locomotive reserve – FT
Ukraine's railway operator has almost exhausted its spare locomotives after sustained Russian strikes and is now negotiating with European partners for additional rolling stock. The shortage is already disrupting grain and iron ore exports through Ukrainian ports.
Ukraine's state railway company, Ukrzaliznytsia, has nearly run out of reserve locomotives as Russian strikes on the rail network continue to destroy or damage its fleet, the Financial Times reported, citing Ukraine's Minister of Agrarian Policy, Taras Vysotskyi.
According to Vysotskyi, Ukraine is in talks with countries whose rail networks use the same 1520 mm track gauge in order to secure additional locomotives and rolling stock.
Port logistics strained
Mykyta Hrubov, executive director of the TIS Group of Terminals, said three locomotives were lost near his company's terminal at the Pivdennyi port alone. He said the locomotive shortage has already become a weak link in port logistics, meaning that even when Black Sea port operations resume, delivering cargo to the berths remains a challenge.
The Financial Times noted that Ukraine's maritime exports depend not only on the safety of shipping routes but also on the railway's capacity to move goods. In recent weeks, Russia has intensified strikes on trains carrying grain and iron ore, two of Ukraine's key export commodities.
Earlier appeal for help
On 15 September, Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha called on international partners to provide locomotives compatible with the 1520 mm gauge and funding to purchase new ones. Sybiha said that since the start of the full-scale invasion, Russian attacks have damaged or destroyed more than 500 locomotives, with over half of that destruction occurring in 2026.
