In the heart of Ukraine’s ongoing conflict, the nation’s railway system has become both a lifeline and a target. Olha Zolotova, a train conductor, lies in a Kyiv hospital bed, recounting the harrowing moment her train was struck by a Russian drone. ‘When the Shahed hit, I was buried under rubble. Everything was burning,’ she recalls. Her injuries, severe enough to require surgery and a metal plate in her leg, are a stark reminder of the relentless attacks on Ukraine’s railways, a critical infrastructure sustaining the country’s war effort and economy.