Russian drones hit railways in Lutsk and Fastiv; pre-emptive evacuations prevent train casualties
On 12 September 2026, Russian drones struck railway infrastructure in Lutsk (Volyn Oblast) and Fastiv (Kyiv Oblast), Ukrzaliznytsia reported. Passengers and staff were evacuated before the hits and no one was injured at the railway sites. The strikes were part of a mass drone attack on Volyn Oblast that also injured five people in the Kovel community and, separately, killed two in a grocery-store strike in Zhytomyr Oblast.
Key points
- On 12 September 2026, Russian drones hit railway infrastructure in Lutsk (Volyn Oblast) and Fastiv (Kyiv Oblast), Ukrzaliznytsia reported.
- Passengers were evacuated from a train in Lutsk and staff from their workplaces before the strikes; no one was injured at the railway sites, Ukrzaliznytsia and the State Emergency Service said.
- In Lutsk, the strike ignited train carriages; SES rescuers extinguished the fire.
- Head of Volyn Oblast Military Administration Roman Romaniuk said the oblast was under a massive drone attack lasting more than four hours and urged residents to shelter; he put the number of Shahed-type drones over the oblast at about 20.
- Five people were injured in the Kovel community by hits on a critical-infrastructure object; all received medical assistance.
- Russia attacked Ukraine with at least 410 strike drones on 12 September; air-defence forces destroyed or suppressed 336 of them.
- Separately on 12 September, a Russian strike on a grocery store in Zhytomyr Oblast killed two people, and a gas station in Rivne Oblast was hit in the morning, according to the head of the Rivne OVA.
Why it matters
Russia deliberately struck Ukraine's railway network in two oblasts at once, a key civilian logistics system, and the attack formed part of an exceptionally large single-day drone salvo — at least 410 drones, with 336 intercepted. A passenger train in Lutsk was hit, and pre-emptive evacuation by Ukrzaliznytsia is credited with preventing casualties there; the same day's broader strikes injured five in the Kovel community and killed two in a Zhytomyr grocery store.
What happened
On 12 September 2026, Russian drones struck railway infrastructure in Lutsk (Volyn Oblast) and Fastiv (Kyiv Oblast). Ukrzaliznytsia head Oleksandr Pertsovskyi reported the hits on Facebook and said passengers and staff had been evacuated before impact, with no injuries at the railway sites. In Lutsk, the strike set fire to train carriages, which SES rescuers extinguished. Volyn OVA head Roman Romaniuk said the oblast was under a massive drone attack lasting more than four hours, put the number of Shahed-type drones in the oblast's airspace at about 20, and urged residents to shelter. Most of the targets hit the Kovel community, where five people were injured by strikes on a critical-infrastructure object; all received medical assistance. Across Ukraine on 12 September, Russia launched at least 410 strike drones, of which air-defence forces destroyed or suppressed 336. Separately, a strike on a grocery store in Zhytomyr Oblast killed two people, and a gas station in Rivne Oblast was hit in the morning, according to Rivne OVA head Oleksandr Koval.
How Ukrainian sources describe it
All sources covering the attack are Ukrainian media and agencies. Reporting centres on official statements — from Ukrzaliznytsia's head, the heads of the Volyn and Rivne Oblast Military Administrations, and the State Emergency Service — and emphasises the scale of the salvo ('massive', 'about 20 Shaheds', 'more than four hours'), the role of Ukrzaliznytsia's monitoring in enabling evacuation, and the resulting disruption to train schedules. Attribution to Russia is explicit: 'Russians', 'the enemy', 'Russian forces'.
Where reporting differs
Sources differ on the number of Shahed-type drones over Volyn Oblast: most outlets reported 'more than 10', while Volyn OVA head Roman Romaniuk said 'about 20'. Casualty reporting is also split: Ukrzaliznytsia and the State Emergency Service reported no injuries from the Lutsk train hit, while later Volyn OVA reporting attributed five injuries to the broader drone attack on the Kovel community's critical infrastructure — not specifically to the railway strike.
Background
Russia has systematically struck Ukrainian railway infrastructure since the beginning of 2026, prompting Ukrzaliznytsia to adopt protocols such as disembarking passengers during air-raid alerts. Earlier in 2026, constant shelling forced Ukrzaliznytsia to suspend train service to Sumy, with Konotop as the terminal point and onward bus transfer. On the same morning of 12 September, a separate attack hit a gas station in Rivne Oblast.