Ukrainian Intelligence Drones Strike Russian Fuel Train in Zaporizhzhia Region

A Russian train carrying fuel for military equipment was struck and destroyed in the Russian-occupied part of the Zaporizhzhia region, Ukraine’s military intelligence agency reported on Saturday.

The Defense Intelligence of the Ministry of Defense published video footage showing the destruction of several fuel tankers.

The agency stated that a unit operating strike UAVs performed the attack on May 24 along the Verkhniy Tokmak–Molochansk–Fedorivka railway segment.

According to Cyber Boroshno, a Ukrainian open-source intelligence community, the strike occurred near the village of Novobohdanivka in the Melitopol district, about 50 km from the front line, at coordinates 47.0913824, 35.3175684.

At least three fuel tankers were destroyed in the drone strike, according to the agency. The attack also damaged the railway line, hampering the Russian military’s ability to quickly transfer fuel and equipment through the region and into Crimea.

Russian forces rely heavily on rail transport to supply their units in southern Ukraine, particularly through occupied areas of Zaporizhzhia and Donetsk regions.

Moscow is currently constructing a new rail connection linking Rostov-on-Don and Crimea via Berdyansk to reduce dependence on the Crimean Bridge and secure alternative supply routes.

The DIU added that Russia also plans to reopen freight links with Melitopol and upgrade the Mariupol–Rostov-on-Don railway line.

Militarnyi previously reported that in the first two weeks of December 2024, a series of sabotage attacks on the railway took place in Russia – the railway track was blown up, and five locomotives were burned.

In December 2024, a wave of sabotage attacks targeted railway infrastructure inside Russia.

On December 14, an explosion destroyed part of a railway bridge in Ulyanovsk.

A day earlier, three locomotives were disabled in an arson attack in Krasnodar.

On December 5, a fire at a depot in Bryansk destroyed two mainline diesel locomotives used by Russian forces.