Ukraine has almost exhausted its locomotive reserve due to Russian strikes - FT

Ukraine has almost exhausted its reserve of locomotives amid Russian strikes on the railway and is negotiating with European partners for the supply of additional rolling stock.

This was reported by Financial Times citing Minister of Agrarian Policy Taras Vysotskyi.

According to him, negotiations are ongoing with countries whose railways have the same track gauge as Ukraine's.

TIS Executive Director Mykyta Hrubov said that in the area of their terminal in the port of Pivdennyi alone, three locomotives have been lost. According to him, the shortage has already become a weak point in port logistics.

As a result, FT notes, even the resumption of operations at Black Sea ports leaves open the question of delivering cargo to the docks. Maritime exports depend not only on shipping safety but also on the railway's ability to transport products.

FT reports that in recent weeks Russia has stepped up attacks on trains carrying grain and iron ore, key Ukrainian export commodities.

The locomotive problem has worsened specifically this year. According to the Ministry of Restoration, Infrastructure and Transport, since the beginning of 2026 alone, Russian strikes have damaged 310 locomotives - more than during the entire period from the start of the full-scale invasion to the end of 2025, when 227 units were damaged.

As of September 20, the total number of damaged locomotives of Ukrzaliznytsia reached 533, with another 75 lost by private industrial enterprises. Because of this, Ukraine has already begun forming an international coalition to restore the locomotive fleet. Within the RELINC project, an agreement in principle has been reached on $100 million in grant funding for the purchase of used locomotives abroad, and Slovakia has agreed to transfer three electric locomotives to Ukraine.

First Deputy Minister of Restoration Serhiy Derkach noted in early October that the number of locomotives that could potentially be delivered to Ukraine should be sufficient for the railway's current operations. At the same time, the search is complicated by the need to find equipment compatible with Ukraine's wide gauge, and the further situation will depend on the intensity of Russian attacks.

Based on materials from: Ekonomichna Pravda, Financial Times, Ministry of Restoration, Infrastructure and Transport