Millions flee from Russian invasion by train
European railways have played a key role helping refugees escape the war in Ukraine.
By Keith Fender
THE invasion of Ukraine by Russia, which began on February 24, has led to millions of civilians fleeing bombarded cities in the east and centre of the country for the west. More than three million had crossed into neighbouring European countries by mid-March – the vast majority being women and children, as most men aged 18-60 cannot leave – and the first refugees crossed the border into Poland by train on February 24/25.
The railway system in Ukraine, which is run by the national rail company Ukrzaliznytsia (UZ), has become a target in the ongoing war. Russian missiles have been reported hitting railway stations in the capital city Kyiv, with artillery shelling hitting railway lines and stations in other cities such as Kharkiv, even as they are being used to evacuate people.
The boss of UZ described in an interview with the BBC how he and his team operate a different timetable daily to reflect where people need to be moved from. UZ announced very early in the conflict that all rail lines that linked Ukraine to Russia had been blown up by the Ukrainian military to prevent them being used by the invading army. In the following four weeks, trains were attacked and several railway staff have been killed. Railway workshops have been making anti-tank ‘hedgehog’ three dimensional road blocks using scrap rails and, by mid-March, had produced over a thousand for use by the Ukrainian Army.