Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the Stavka, the meeting of the country's Supreme Commander-in-Chief, reviewed the needs of the state railway operator Ukrzaliznytsia and the country's network of fuel stations on September 15, as both remain prime targets for Russian strikes.
The meeting came two days after a Russian strike hit a train near Ukraine's border with Poland, on September 13.
The Stavka is Ukraine's top wartime military decision-making body, chaired by Zelensky and made up of senior military, security and government officials. Zelensky, who has led Ukraine since 2019, has served as commander-in-chief through more than three years of full-scale war with Russia, which Moscow launched in February 2022.
Ukrzaliznytsia, widely known by its Ukrainian initials UZ, has continued to run passenger and freight trains throughout the war despite repeated Russian missile and drone strikes on stations, tracks and rolling stock, and has become a symbol of the country's resilience.
At the meeting, officials examined contracts for producing protection systems for critical infrastructure and logistics, Zelensky said. He said officials had closely analyzed the needs of Ukrzaliznytsia, fuel station networks and designated critical enterprises, which he described as especially significant targets for Russian strikes. He said intelligence services had delivered clear reports on where Russian "terrorist attention" was most focused under the enemy's approved plans.
Air defense and electronic warfare plans
Zelensky said existing solutions for protection include strengthening the electronic warfare component and increasing procurement volumes. He said mobile fire groups and air defense lines designated for the task are also expected to be reformatted.
Electronic warfare equipment is used to jam or disrupt drones and missiles that rely on radio or satellite guidance, a key line of defense against Russia's Shahed-type attack drones.
Zelensky said he had instructed the Ministry of Finance to provide additional resources for logistics needs, and thanked partner countries that are helping keep the railway running without interruption.
Border logistics and rail repairs
The Stavka also discussed challenges and possible joint steps with partners on securing logistics in border regions with European Union countries and Moldova, Zelensky said. He said officials also reported on Ukrzaliznytsia's capacity to repair rolling stock and supply equipment, adding that it was important for partner support to continue and for state banks to back the railway operator.
Ukraine's western border crossings with the European Union and Moldova carry much of the rail traffic that brings in Western weapons and aid. Since Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022, Ukraine has also relied heavily on these land routes to export grain and other goods after Russian forces disrupted shipping through the Black Sea, making the crossings a frequent target.
Zelensky said the government is preparing decisions on reserve logistics routes in front-line regions, the areas closest to the fighting in eastern and southern Ukraine, based on calculated algorithms for combining rail and bus routes. He said the task for protecting designated critical infrastructure facilities had also been updated, though he did not disclose the details, saying they were not public.
Hundreds of fuel stations destroyed
Russia has destroyed or damaged more than 300 Ukrainian fuel stations over the past six months, Ukraine's energy minister, Denys Shmyhal, said in August. Ukraine has around 5,000 licensed fuel stations and filling complexes in total. Fuel stations are considered essential civilian and logistics infrastructure, supplying vehicles used by the public, emergency services and the military.
