Ukrainian forces delivered a powerful blow to Russian military ambitions by striking an armoured assault train with a kamikaze drone. The attack, which has captivated social media and military analysts alike, was carried out by the 152nd Separate Assault Brigade of Ukraine’s Armed Forces and marks a rare but symbolic destruction of a form of Russian military transport more common in Soviet-era warfare.
The footage, posted on 19 April, shows a drone flying directly beneath the locomotive before detonating. The video was captioned with a wry comment: “We haven’t shot down a locomotive yet, but everything happens for the first time.” The target was a heavily fortified train, protected with steel plating reminiscent of Russia’s makeshift ‘barn tanks’, repurposed freight trains converted into mobile fortresses.
No location for the strike was revealed by the brigade, but military sources suggest the train was operating dangerously close to Ukraine’s front line.
Ukrainian drone operators used an infrared-equipped Mavic drone to identify and track the armoured train, followed by a direct hit from a kamikaze drone. A reconnaissance officer described the footage as “truly unique”, likening the use of such a train in twenty first century warfare to deploying pack animals on a modern battlefield.
The train’s destruction quickly went viral on Telegram, drawing mockery from Ukrainian troops and analysts. Junior Sergeant Stanyslav Bunyat of the 24th ID Assault Battalion reacted by saying, “Have you seen an armoured assault train in this war? Then it is time to look.” A pro-Ukrainian military Telegram channel commented, “We haven’t seen such a stupid move in a long time. Without the ability to manoeuvre, the train was simply taken out by FPV drones.”
This attack came amid Russia’s escalated assaults in Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia regions, where their forces have introduced unorthodox strategies including infantry waves backed by motorcycles and off-road buggies.
On 17 April, Ukrainian forces repelled a significant Russian attack near Pokrovsk in Donetsk, reportedly killing 200 Russian troops and destroying major hardware including 115 vehicles. Commander Oleksandr Pivenko of the National Guard confirmed the 14th Brigade stopped a major assault involving armoured vehicles and infantry.
President Volodymyr Zelensky praised Ukrainian defenders for holding the line, particularly noting the destruction of 96 Russian motorcycles and dozens of troop transport vehicles in a combined defence by the 14th and 117th Brigades.
Meanwhile, reports from a nineteen year old Russian conscript described chaos in Russian command. He revealed that drunken Russian commanders frequently change mission orders mid-operation and have resorted to tying misbehaving soldiers to trees, abandoning them to face certain death from Ukrainian drones or mortar fire.
Elsewhere, the 10th Mountain Assault Brigade successfully stopped another bizarre Russian offensive in the Siversk direction, where a tank led a charge followed by motorcyclists. All enemy units were neutralised.
Ukraine’s FPV drones have also started intercepting Russian drones mid-flight. In the Dnipro region, three Russian reconnaissance drones were taken down by Ukrainian drone interceptors before crossing the river, proving the growing sophistication of Ukraine’s drone warfare capabilities.
Russia’s RosTech announced the delivery of two new Sukhoi Su-34 fighter bombers to the Aerospace Forces in 2025. Despite ambitious rhetoric about increased production to make up for heavy losses in 2023, deliveries remain modest, and production rates appear unchanged from previous years. Since January 2024, only ten Su-34s have been delivered.
