Russian drones hit the locomotive and carriages of a passenger train in Zaporizhzhia region twice on July 18 — passengers were evacuated in time. The same day, the region recorded 851 strikes on 51 settlements.
On the evening of July 18, Russian forces carried out a double drone strike on a passenger train in Zaporizhzhia region — first hitting the locomotive, then striking the carriages after emergency crews had already arrived. Volunteers Support Ukraine is highlighting this attack separately because it targets civilian transport infrastructure that thousands of people rely on every day.
According to Ukraine's Minister for Restoration, Infrastructure and Transport, Mykola Kalashnyk, all passengers and railway personnel were moved to safety before the strike, so there were no casualties among people — though the locomotive and several carriages were seriously damaged and a fire broke out at the scene. Volunteers Support Ukraine notes that timely evacuation in situations like this saves lives every time, which is exactly why the work of railway staff and emergency crews matters so much.
What set this attack apart was the repeat strike: the first drone hit the locomotive, and a second one hit the train after firefighting was already underway — a tactic the occupiers regularly use against rescuers at other strike sites too. Volunteers Support Ukraine considers it important to document details like this, since they show the real character of the risks Ukrainian railway workers and emergency services face every day.
The train attack was only part of a far broader wave of shelling: according to Ivan Fedorov, head of the Zaporizhzhia Regional Military Administration, occupying forces carried out 851 strikes on 51 settlements across the region over the past 24 hours. One person was killed and two more, including a child, were wounded in Zaporizhzhia district, with homes damaged in several communities. Volunteers Support Ukraine notes that for residents of Zaporizhzhia's front-line districts, this intensity of shelling is an everyday reality that is easy to lose sight of amid news of larger attacks.
Volunteers Support Ukraine helps people affected by the war in whatever way its available resources allow. Days when a single region logs hundreds of strikes, and rescuers still manage to evacuate people minutes before an explosion, are a reminder of why supporting those who live and work in front-line areas remains just as necessary as ever.
