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Nearly 50 trains delayed in Ukraine after railways infrastructure targeted by Russia
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At least three people were killed and 54 were injured in Russian attacks across Ukraine over the past day, officials said this morning.The casualties were reported from the Zaporizhzhia, Donetsk and Kherson regions, which are facing the brunt of Russia‘s onslaught.
The attacks also targeted railway infrastructure, including a strike on an electrical substation which disrupted operations, Ukrainian state rail operator Ukrzaliznytsia said.
At least 46 trains were experiencing delays on Wednesday and passenger services were disrupted on routes to Odesa and Dnipro.
Oleksii Kuleba, the deputy prime minister said: “The enemy tried to disable substations that power the railway network with a massive drone attack this night.”
Regional governors confirmed 23 wounded in Zaporizhzhia – including four children, while nine were injured in Donetsk’s Kostiantynivka and 15 others were injured in Kherson as Russia rained drones and missiles on residential areas over the past day.
Donald Trump has adopted Vladimir Putin’s arguments on Ukraine; and has (like Putin) threatened the sovereignty of his neighbours and allies.
On top of that, his administration has openly supported anti-democratic movements on Europe’s far right – notably in Germany, France, and Romania.
Trump has jeopardised the cornerstone alliances of Nato and the Five Eyes intelligence relationship that bind the West together as militaries and that links the Anglosphere into a web of trust.
His apparent devotion to Putin has further entrenched the belief among the intelligence communities of America’s allies that the US president is a liability.
He is a liability. He has been successfully manipulated by Russia and Putin for years.
So now it’s Britain’s turn, and as head of state, the star turn in Trump-charming is the King himself. He, no doubt, will play his part, writes Sam Kiley:
Ukraine and the US International Development Finance Corporation will each commit $75 million to a joint investment fund that is part of Kyiv’s minerals deal with Washington.
“The US Development Finance Corporation (DFC) has made a pilot commitment of $75 million, which Ukraine will match,” Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko said in a statement.
DFC said the investment would support Ukraine’s reconstruction and economic recovery and strengthen US natural resource supply chains.
Ukraine and the US signed the deal, which had been promoted by President Donald Trump, in April, giving the United States preferential access to new Ukrainian minerals projects in exchange for investment.
Russian President Vladimir Putin held a call with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday.
The Kremlin said they discussed Ukraine and preparations for Putin’s visit to India in December.
Russia has resumed regular domestic passenger flights to the southern city of Krasnodar on Wednesday.
The key regional airport was closed for more than three years due to security concerns linked to the war in Ukraine.
Russia closed 11 major airports in its southern and western regions, including those in Kursk, Simferopol and Rostov-on-Don, following the start of its military campaign in Ukraine in February 2022.
A fully loaded 183-seat Airbus A321 from Moscow operated by Russian flag carrier Aeroflot landed in the city of over 1.5 million people after a flight of about 3-1/2 hours.
That was about 90 minutes longer than flights before the war, as planes now avoid the airspace near the front line in Ukraine and fly via Volgograd and the Black Sea coast.
Aeroflot said it will operate up to five flights a day from Moscow, as well as services from six other Russian cities, including Saint-Petersburg.
“We didn’t believe it could happen,” said Maya Tikhomirova, a passenger on Wednesday’s flight who regularly travels between Moscow and Krasnodar. “It’s the first time in three years we got here so easily.”
New research has identified some 210 sites where Ukrainian children are believed to have been taken for military training by Russia.
The research, funded by the USA, found that the children also took part in drone manufacturing and other forced re-education as part of the large-scale deportation programme.
Yale’s School of Public Health said in the report that more than 150 new locations had been discovered since it published findings last year, In 2024, it alleged that Russian presidential aircraft had been used to transport children.
The Kremlin issued a sharp warning to Nato when it said the alliance was “fighting against Russia” and was “de facto involved” in the war in Ukraine.
“Nato is providing direct and indirect support to the Kyiv regime,” Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters. “It can be said with absolute certainty that Nato is fighting against Russia.”
Yet as Russia sends drones into Poland and Romania and organises drills with Belarus, experts say that Putin is testing Nato’s response through its more aggressive movements past Ukrainian borders.
Bryony Gooch reports:
Andrius Kubilius, European Commissioner for Defence Industry and Space, has said that Europe needs to incorporate Ukraine within its defence infrastructure.
“If really it so happens that we shall come to what is called Day X, and Putin will start aggression against us, we need to understand that Putin will come with battle-tested army, much stronger than it was back in 2022, with the ability to use millions of drones,” he told the Kyiv Independent.
“And on the democratic side of the European continent, we have only the Ukrainian army, which has the same battle-tested capabilities, and that would be a big mistake on our side, not to find the best way how we can integrate Ukrainian capabilities, Ukrainian (Armed) Forces, and Ukrainian defense industry in the most rapid way into some kind of new defense architecture.”
Experts have warned that a “drone wall” intended to protect Nato countries from Russian incursions, must be well coordinated in order to be effective.
It follows EU Commission president Ursula von der Leyen’s call to build the “drone wall” hours after aircraft were intercepted in Poland.
A drone alliance would be organised with Kyiv and funded with €6b , according to von der Leyen.
“Europe’s defence posture is too fragmented, but this particular area is where we really need to see much more coordination,” an EU official told the Financial Times.
“You can’t have one [frontline] state doing one thing on their border and another doing something different. Russia will just tailor their approach to our weaknesses.”
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