Ukrainian drones strike train station in Russia's Volgograd Oblast, governor reports
Editor's note: This story was updated on Aug. 8 with additional comments from the expert.
Ukraine's military launched a drone attack on Russia's Volgograd Oblast overnight on Aug. 7, striking a railway station in the town of Surovikino, regional Governor Andrei Bocharov reported.
Videos posted on social media by local residents and geolocated by the Russian Telegram channel Crimean Wind appear to show large flames emanating from the railway station.
Confirming the attack, Bocharov claimed that a fire broke out at an administrative building at the railway station, further claiming that no damage to railway infrastructure had been observed.
The Kyiv Independent cannot verify reports made by Russian officials.
Ukraine's military rarely comments on drone strikes on Russian territory and has not done so in this instance — although it has regularly targeted the region with drones.
The railway station reportedly serves as a logistics hub for military cargo destined for Ukraine's front line region as well as occupied territories.
Viktor Kevliuk, retired military officer and defense expert, told the Kyiv Independent that Ukraine is deliberately targeting Russia’s rail infrastructure due to the military’s heavy reliance on it for the rapid and large-scale delivery of equipment, ammunition, and fuel, especially given limited road networks.
Instead of striking tracks, which can be repaired within a day or two, Ukrainian forces are focusing on smaller but critical targets like traction substations and transformers, which are harder to quickly restore, he said.
"Systematic destruction of logistical hubs is part of a 'death by a thousand cuts' strategy — small but constant strikes that, together, cause significant disruption to Russian supply lines," Kevliuk added.
According to the expert, Ukrainian strikes on Russia’s rail infrastructure are causing delays and forcing military cargo to be rerouted to other unloading stations. This increases the burden on Russia’s railway troops and repair teams, diverts resources from the front, and slows down Russian offensive operations due to logistical disruptions, he said.
Amid the attack on the region, temporary flight restrictions were implemented at Volgograd Airport, Rosaviatsia, Russia's air transport agency, reported.
The Volgograd region is located some 900 kilometers (560 miles) southeast of Moscow.
A total of 82 drones were shot down over various Russian regions overnight, Russia's Defense Ministry claimed.
The same night, Ukrainian drones reportedly attacked the Afipskiy oil refinery in Russia's Krasnodar Krai, while naval drones were said to target the nearby port city of Novorossiysk.
In recent weeks, Ukraine has struck other Russian railway stations close to the Russia-Ukraine border. Overnight on July 29, drones struck a railway station in the town of Salsk in Belgorod Oblast, causing a large fire.
Fuel depots, rail infrastructure, and ammunition stockpiles inside Russia and occupied territories have increasingly become targets for long-range drone and missile strikes.
