Ukraine nearly out of reserve locomotives as Russian strikes hit rail and port infrastructure
Ukraine has nearly exhausted its reserve of locomotives after sustained Russian attacks on railway infrastructure, prompting talks with European partners using the same rail gauge for replacements. The shortage comes as Black Sea ports — historically responsible for around 80% of Ukrainian agricultural exports — have been paralyzed by strikes, leaving rail and Dan exports racing to absorb the volume. Ukrainian Minister of Agrarian Policy Taras Vysotsky estimates the country could lose at least $8 billion in exports between June 2026 and June 2027 if ports remain closed.
Key points
- Ukraine has 'almost exhausted its reserve of locomotives,' according to Minister of Agrarian Policy Taras Vysotsky.
- Ukraine is negotiating with European partners that share its rail gauge for additional locomotive supplies.
- Since February 2022, Russia has damaged or destroyed more than 500 locomotives; 310 of those were damaged in 2026 alone — more than the entire February 2022 to end-2025 period.
- The ports of Greater Odesa previously accounted for about 80% of Ukrainian agricultural exports; in August, about 600,000 tonnes moved by rail and a similar volume via the Danube.
- Ukrainian authorities recorded 198 attacks on port infrastructure in 2026, including 95 strikes on ships in ports and 69 in the maritime corridor.
- Vysotsky estimates at least $8 billion in export losses between June 2026 and June 2027 if ports stay closed — roughly 20% of Ukraine's prior-year export revenues.
Why it matters
Rail is the principal alternative export route Ukraine has while its Black Sea ports are under sustained attack. With reserve locomotives nearly gone and 310 damaged in 2026 alone — more than the entire February 2022 to end-2025 period — the country is being forced to look to gauge-compatible European partners to keep grain and iron ore moving. Vysotsky's $8 billion loss projection between June 2026 and June 2027 amounts to roughly a fifth of Ukraine's prior-year export revenues and would halve expected agricultural shipments.
What happened
Minister of Agrarian Policy Taras Vysotsky said Ukraine has 'almost exhausted its reserve of locomotives' and is negotiating with European partners that use the same railway gauge for additional supplies. The shortage follows repeated Russian strikes on rail and port infrastructure: according to Ukrainian authorities, 198 attacks on port infrastructure were recorded in 2026, including 95 strikes on ships in ports and 69 in the maritime corridor. Since the start of the full-scale invasion, more than 500 locomotives have been damaged or destroyed; 310 of those were lost in 2026 alone, exceeding the cumulative losses from February 2022 through the end of 2025. Mykyta Hrubov, executive director of the private port TIS in Pivdennyi, said three locomotives alone were lost in the area of his port. With Black Sea shipping cut, roughly 600,000 tonnes of agricultural products moved by rail and a similar volume via the Danube in August. Vysotsky estimated Ukraine could lose at least $8 billion in exports between June 2026 and June 2027 if ports remain closed — roughly 20% of the previous year's export revenues — and that without port restoration Ukraine may export only about half of the roughly 64 million tonnes of agricultural products it had planned for the year. The Risoil terminal in Chornomorsk will operate at 30% capacity, according to owner Shota Khadzhishvili, loading two ships simultaneously instead of five. The All-Ukrainian Agrarian Council appealed to the Prime Minister for urgent anti-crisis measures in response to the cessation of vessel calls at Ukrainian Black Sea ports.
How Ukrainian sources describe it
Ukrainian-language reporting leads with the locomotive reserve depletion and the search for European, gauge-compatible replacements as the central urgent problem. It links rail damage to the broader squeeze on Black Sea port exports, quantifying the projected $8 billion shortfall and the expected halving of agricultural export volumes. Articles cite domestic voices — Vysotsky, port executive Mykyta Hrubov, Risoil owner Shota Khadzhishvili, farmer Volodymyr Varbanets, and National Guard commander Timur Samosudov — to illustrate the human and operational impact inside Ukraine, and point to specific strikes on rail targets in Vinnytsia, a Kyiv suburban electric train station, and the railway station in Berestyn, Kharkiv Oblast.
How international sources describe it
Reporting originating with the Financial Times, as carried by the supplied articles, frames the story around Ukraine's near-exhaustion of locomotive reserves and negotiations with European gauge-compatible partners. International coverage places the damage figures — 310 locomotives damaged in 2026 and more than 500 since February 2022 — and the $8 billion export-loss estimate, equivalent to about 20% of Ukraine's prior-year export revenues, at the centre of the account.
Background
Before the new wave of attacks, the ports of Greater Odesa handled about 80% of Ukrainian agricultural exports. Since the start of the full-scale invasion, Russia has damaged or destroyed over 500 locomotives in total, with 310 of those in 2026 alone — more than in the entire period from February 2022 through the end of 2025. In 2026, Ukrainian authorities recorded 198 attacks on port infrastructure, including 95 strikes on ships in ports and 69 in the maritime corridor. In August, after shipping reductions caused by Russian strikes, roughly 600,000 tonnes of agricultural products moved by rail and a similar volume via the Danube. The All-Ukrainian Agrarian Council appealed to the Prime Minister of Ukraine for urgent anti-crisis measures in response to the halt of vessel calls at Black Sea ports.