Russian railway power hit: Ukrainian attack delays trains in Volgograd region; 99 drones downed

Train services in parts of Russia’s Volgograd region were disrupted on Sunday after falling debris from Ukrainian drones destroyed by Russian air defences damaged railway power lines, according to local authorities.

Russia’s defence ministry said its air defence units intercepted and destroyed nine Ukrainian drones over the Volgograd region overnight. In total, 99 drones were shot down across 12 Russian regions, as well as over the Crimean Peninsula and the Black Sea, the ministry added, Reuters reported.

Regional governor Andrei Bocharov said in a statement on Telegram that no injuries were reported in the incident..

In the aftermath of the drone strikes, Rosaviatsia, Russia’s civil aviation authority, announced the temporary suspension of flight operations at Volgograd Airport shortly after midnight. As of Sunday morning, flight services remained suspended, the agency said on Telegram.

State news agency RIA Novosti reported that train operations were affected in several areas of the region due to the attacks and the aftermath, according to the news agency.

While the full extent of the damage is still being assessed, the Russian defence ministry provided no details on the number of drones launched by Ukraine, only those that were intercepted.

There has been no official response from Kyiv regarding the incident. However, Ukrainian officials have consistently stated that drone and missile strikes targeting Russian territory are carried out in retaliation to Moscow’s continued aggression and are aimed at disrupting infrastructure critical to Russia’s war efforts since the invasion began in 2022.