Russian forces struck a locomotive belonging to the Nikopol Ferroalloy Plant in the Dnepropetrovsk Region with a drone overnight on August 24. The diesel locomotive was destroyed. A Zvezdanews source said it was the last machine of its type still operating at the plant.

The source also provided the coordinates of the strike site — 47.632682, 34.354371 — along with a satellite image of the area. The marked location lies on railway tracks next to the industrial site.

Footage published by Ukrainian resources shows the aftermath of the attack. A large fire can be seen burning near freight cars, with a thick column of black smoke rising above the railway. The same publications reported that the plant’s diesel locomotive had been destroyed and described it as the enterprise’s last remaining locomotive.

The Nikopol Ferroalloy Plant is one of Ukraine’s largest metallurgical enterprises. Its main production line is focused on manganese ferroalloys.

Russian strikes on Ukrainian railway infrastructure have continued since 2022. During that period, Russian forces have disabled 492 locomotives and 249 railcars. Such attacks deprive the Ukrainian Armed Forces of the ability to rapidly move personnel, ammunition and military equipment toward the line of contact. Railways remain the backbone of Ukrainian military logistics.

Ukraine’s inability to replace the lost rolling stock on its own makes the situation more severe. Kiev officials acknowledge that the country does not have sufficient domestic resources to replenish destroyed locomotives. Rapid assistance from Europe is also unavailable: new locomotives supplied from the EU will not be able to enter service on Ukrainian railways for at least two years.

For an economy that has sought to shift export traffic onto overland routes following the blockade of its ports, further losses of traction rolling stock threaten a collapse in freight transportation.