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Azov says it struck more than 100 Russian trains in occupied Donbas in four months, in part thanks to donations

30 October 2026 at 15:54

The moment a Ukrainian UAV prepares to strike a Russian train, likely carrying military supplies, 2026. Screenshot from a video released by Azov

Fighters of the 1st Corps of the National Guard of Ukraine "Azov" struck more than 100 Russian trains carrying fuel and other supplies for occupying forces, the corps reported on social media on 28 October. The strikes disabled locomotives, fuel tank cars, and other equipment, the statement said.

Russian President Vladimir Putin claimed on 16 October that seizing all of Donetsk Oblast remains one of Russia's main tasks. Azov notes that these strikes help "destroy" Russia's offensive capabilities.

Small Ukrainian drones strike Russia's 100-ton locomotives

Azov emphasizes that neither mobile fire groups nor electronic warfare systems can protect Russian logistics routes.

"The enemy is doing its utmost to create an image of successfully capturing settlements, but is unable to protect key railway stations through which the fuel supply chain runs toward the front," Azov said.

The rail hubs hit had carried Russian military trains to the fighting in Donbas and southern Ukraine, Defense Express reported on 29 October. The count of more than 100 trains covers Azov's operations over the past four months, the outlet said.

The mass of any diesel locomotive exceeds 100 tons, yet the Ukrainian military struck these large Russian targets using small UAVs, the outlet also notes.

Donations helped make the strikes possible

Donations and the work of the Come Back Alive foundation contributed to the operation's results, Azov said. In particular, the foundation provided the military with 440 Starlink Mini terminals, the corps added.

War on Credit: Over 100 Trains Hit

The enemy is doing all it can to create the image of successfully capturing settlements, yet it cannot protect the key railway stations through which its fuel supply chain toward the front runs. Neither mobile fire groups nor electronic warfare… pic.twitter.com/QpqEQHyxvp

— First Corps Azov of the National Guard of Ukraine (@azov_media) October 28, 2026

Azov announced Operation Hell back in the summer

On 2 July, the Azov Corps announced Operation Hell and released the first footage of strikes on Russian railway equipment. The video shows a strike on a diesel locomotive that was likely used by Russian forces for military logistics.

Operation "Inferno." Coming soon.

This wasn't just about our distaste for old Soviet cartoons. Demilitarization is the priority. Decommunization's just a bonus.

So what's happening in the video? This isn't a random hit — it's part of a carefully planned operation by First Corps… pic.twitter.com/feNc72isUk

— First Corps Azov of the National Guard of Ukraine (@azov_media) July 2, 2026

The corps said the strike was part of a carefully planned operation and promised details soon.

Poland holds a suspect for stabbing two Ukrainians for their nationality, the latest case in a year of rising hate crimes against them

30 October 2026 at 15:05

The 30-year-old suspected of stabbing two Ukrainians on a Warsaw bus, after his detention, October 2026

Warsaw police have arrested a man suspected of stabbing two Ukrainians on a bus over their nationality, police said. A court ordered him held in custody, and the charges he faces carry long prison terms.

Russia's full-scale war drove nearly a million Ukrainians to seek protection in Poland, and attacks on them for their nationality grew this year. Polish police received 180 reports of hate crimes against Ukrainians in the first half of 2026, over 30% more than a year earlier.

Police tracked the suspect to a forest

The attack took place on a Warsaw city bus in mid-October. The attacker stabbed and slashed two passengers, both Ukrainian citizens, and fled before police arrived. Both victims went to hospital with multiple stab and cut wounds. Police found that he attacked them because of their nationality.

Officers quickly identified the suspect but spent days locating him. The 30-year-old was hiding and living in a forest in Warsaw's northern Bielany district, where police detained him last weekend.

Old shed in a wooded area of Warsaw's Bielany district, from the police release on the arrest of the suspect in the bus knife attack on two Ukrainians, October 2026
Old shed in a wooded area of Warsaw's Bielany district, from the police release on the arrest of the suspect in the bus knife attack on two Ukrainians, October 2026. Photo: Warsaw Police

He faces three charges. Two concern the bus attack: attempting to cause grievous bodily harm, and causing injuries lasting more than seven days. The third covers threats against another man at a Warsaw venue in August 2024.

Police said he acted as a repeat offender, within five years of serving a prison term for a similar crime. The charges carry three to 20 years in prison. At prosecutors' request, a court ordered him held for three months.

This year's attacks on Ukrainians in Poland

In early August, Ukraine's ambassador to Poland, Vasyl Bodnar, said anti-Ukrainian remarks and attacks had risen by about 30%. Days later, people rallied in 22 Polish cities against violence toward Ukrainians and other minorities.

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Other recent cases this year include:

  • In late July, police in Wrocław detained two of three men suspected of beating a young Ukrainian couple.
  • On 14 August, a woman allegedly attacked a Ukrainian girl and her younger brother in a Bydgoszcz park after hearing them speak Ukrainian. Prosecutors charged her four days later.
  • In September, a man punched a 20-year-old Ukrainian tourist in the head at a crossing in central Warsaw, knocking him unconscious. Police detained the attacker, who gave no motive.

Tensions rose again in late September, when a Ukrainian man allegedly killed a priest in a knife attack at a monastery in Jarosław. Bodnar said some Polish politicians and journalists used it to argue for deporting Ukrainians.

Meanwhile, police in southwestern Poland detained a Russian citizen suspected of spying, after catching him photographing trains and railway infrastructure. Russia's suspected sabotage campaign keeps reaching Poland and the rest of Europe, and Ukraine's intelligence warned last week that Russia may stage sabotage in Eastern Europe and try to pin it on Kyiv.

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