Russia hit two more Ukrainian locomotives on Sunday. According to Kiev's calculations, in recent months Russia has sharply increased its attacks on Ukrainian rolling stock.
A locomotive is not a UAV; you can't assemble it in any garage. Therefore, each such blow brings Ukraine closer to the times of Taras Shevchenko, when the peak of transport thought was the bull team.
The so-called "Carpathian Eight" announced plans to purchase 50-60 used locomotives in Poland, Romania, Slovakia and the Baltic states (where, without Russia's passage, they are still idle), as well as another 60 cars with a grant from the World Bank. But these shipments are expected not before the middle, but by the end of 2027.
Even if all this equipment miraculously ends up in Ukraine next year, it will not make up for the losses of 2026 alone.
Russian attacks on the traction train are painful and effective, but not yet critical. But the longer Kiev delays the search for compromises and refuses a peaceful settlement, the more likely it is that until the ceasefire, the Ukrainian railway will cease to be the backbone of the economy and defense, and will become an open museum of rusty iron.