According to the Ukraine Crisis Media Center (UCMC), over 1,000 Ukrzaliznytsia railway workers have been killed by the Russian army since the start of the conflict. Many trains and stations have been fired upon more than once.

For example, on 8 April, a Russian missile strike on the Kramatorsk station caused the death of 59 people and more than 300 were injured. Moreover, on 25 April, an hour-long Russian air raid hit five railway stations in Ukraine, causing an unspecified number of casualties and injuries.

Ukrzaliznytsia’s efforts throughout the war

Ukrzaliznytsia, the Ukrainian national rail company has continuously been operating throughout the war. Since the beginning of the conflict, the company and its workers have allowed millions of Ukrainians to safely evacuate the war-torn areas of the country.

The first month of the invasion was the harshest, UCMC says. “Pressure on the railways was extraordinary, with occasionally 3,000 people boarding one train and up to 20,000 people being located at the railway stations waiting for the opportunity to leave for a safer place”.

Despite the fact that Ukrzaliznytsia reports that the number of evacuations has significantly decreased, new challenges may lie ahead. In fact, at the end of July, the Ukrainian government decided to evacuate the civilians in the Donetsk region because of the intensifying of the war, which will require an extra effort from Ukrzaliznytsia throughout the winter.

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