Russia Intensifies Missile and Drone Strikes on Ukrainian Infrastructure

The Federal Government of Russia has significantly intensified its aerial campaign against Ukraine, deploying RM48U training missiles and jet-powered drones to degrade logistics and energy networks. In July and early August, RM48U munitions accounted for over half of the 228 ballistic and hypersonic missiles fired, a strategy designed to deplete Ukraine's stocks of U.S.-made Patriot interceptors while preserving high-precision Iskander missiles for winter. On August 5, an RM48U strike killed eight people at a railway platform in Brovary; Russia claimed the target was a drone component logistics center.

Russian forces have specifically targeted passenger trains to isolate front-line communities, damaging over 500 locomotives since 2022. These attacks have expanded into western Ukraine, including a strike near the Polish border that likely targeted European security advisors. In response, Ukrainian Railways is implementing evacuation protocols and seeking funding for locomotive repairs, supported by a pledge of locomotives from the Government of Lithuania.

On September 18, Russia launched a massive wave of over 30 missiles and hundreds of drones, including the first operational use of Geran-4 Siker drones, hitting Kyiv, Odesa, and Zaporizhzhia. The strikes disrupted water supplies in Kyiv and destroyed a logistics center in Odesa. Ukraine retaliated with a large-scale drone raid across 14 Russian regions, hitting the Yaroslavl oil refinery. These escalations occurred despite claims by U.S. President Donald Trump that both nations had agreed to an energy truce.