Russia hits Ukrainian locomotives and fuel stations, leaving one dead

KYIV, June 25 - Russia attacked three rail locomotives, killing one driver, and hit two petrol stations across Ukraine on Thursday, officials there said, part of an escalation in strikes on Ukrainian infrastructure in recent months.

Russia and Ukraine have both attacked fuel and transport facilities, hoping to cut off supplies to each other's troops and gain an edge along the front line of a war now in its fifth year.

One strike hit a locomotive in the northeast Sumy region, and in Zaporizhzhia region in the south, Oleksandr Pertsovskyi, CEO of state rail group Ukrzaliznytsia, said on Facebook.

"Two crews were evacuated in time and none of them was hurt, but the third strike in Zaporizhzhia ended in tragedy: the driver managed to get to safety, but the assistant driver, who was in the rear cab, could not be saved," Pertsovskyi said.

Russia has attacked more than 100 locomotives so far this year, Pertsovskyi told Reuters earlier this month, saying that amounted to a "simply insane" surge in the number of strikes.

He accused Moscow of trying to bring Ukrzaliznytsia's operations to a standstill.

Local officials said Russia also attacked petrol stations in Zaporizhzhia and Sumy.

Earlier this month, Ukrainian attacks on Russian fuel logistics led to widespread disruptions to fuel supplies in many Russian regions and in Russian-occupied Crimea. REUTERS