500 Locomotives Destroyed, Warehouses Gone, Front Lines Crumble (Video)

In this 19 September 2026 published video, hosts Alexander Mercouris and Alex Christoforou talk about how Russia is dismantling Ukraine’s ability to fight, destroying hundreds of locomotives, most of its warehouses, and now bombing the Zatoka bridge as fuel and ports run dry. In this episode we break down why Orikhiv is close to falling, why Ukraine’s Lyman counteroffensive is really about spinning a victory story for Zelensky’s meeting with Trump, and why the Kremlin has turned far more hardline on any diplomatic solution. Is Ukraine’s economy collapsing faster than anyone in the West wants to admit?

Since the full-scale invasion began in 2022, more than 500 Ukrainian locomotives have been damaged or completely destroyed by Russian strikes. Russian forces have heavily accelerated their “hunt” for Ukrainian rolling stock. Over half of these locomotive strikes occurred in 2026 alone, averaging about 37 to 40 locomotives attacked per month. Ukraine urgently needs replacement engines, but faces a technical hurdle: its rail lines use a 1,520 mm track gauge, which is wider than the standard 1,435 mm gauge used across most of Europe. This limits the number of compatible trains European partners can easily supply, though countries like Lithuania have stepped in to help. 

While the loss of 500 locomotives and numerous supply warehouses represents a severe logistical strain on Ukraine’s state rail operator (Ukrzaliznytsia), the claim that the ‘front lines crumble’ reflects the analytical and dramatic framing of The Duran, a commentary platform known for its critical stance on Western geopolitical strategy and a more pessimistic outlook on Ukraine’s military positions. 

https://youtu.be/Xm0557sq5UI

00:00:00 Continued Russian strikes on Kyiv Odessa Zaporizhzhia and Dnipro
00:01:42 Mercouris says the Russian air campaign is unbroken and daily
00:02:44 Russia shifts to strike industrial targets and Zatoka bridge
00:05:11 Russia has destroyed 30 to 60 percent of Ukraine’s warehouses
00:06:21 Russia’s Razvet system targets locomotives with precision
00:07:58 Ukraine begs Europe for locomotives that do not exist
00:08:24 Blockaded ports and fuel shortages push Ukraine toward collapse
00:09:43 Tense exchange between Greece and Ukraine
00:11:16 Mercouris compares the campaign to the 1991 air war against Iraq
00:12:56 A wasted year of diplomacy leaves the Kremlin far more hardline
00:15:47 Talks go nowhere as BRICS states defy the Lindsey Graham sanctions
00:20:11 100 percent secondary sanctions on India and China
00:24:53 Orikhiv is close to falling in Zaporizhzhia
00:27:48 Dobropillya cluster under assault threatens Kramatorsk 
00:32:04 Lyman offensive doubles as political theater