MOSCOW, September 21. /TASS/. Since February 2022, Ukraine has lost more than 600 locomotives and is in urgent need of assistance from its partners, Nikolay Kalashnik, Ukraine’s Minister for Reconstruction, Infrastructure, and Transport has said.

"Russia is systematically attacking the railway network, specifically targeting locomotives. Since the beginning of 2022, 533 locomotives belonging to Ukrainian Railways and 75 locomotives owned by private industrial enterprises have been damaged," the Ukrainian Railways’ Telegram channel reported, citing the minister.

Kalashnik added that a decision was made at the Carpathian Eight meeting to establish a "railway coalition." He explained that this involves a systematic assistance mechanism from partners that will encompass locomotives, funding, energy resilience measures, and modernization. Kalashnik stated that a decision has already been reached to allocate $100 million to Ukraine for the purchase of used locomotives from foreign markets. Furthermore, he announced that "an agreement in principle has been reached with the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development to allocate 130 million euros for the railway's critical needs and energy resilience."

The inaugural meeting of the Carpathian Eight took place from September 18 to 20 at Bukovel, Ukraine's largest ski resort, located in the Ivano-Frankovsk Region. In addition to Ukraine, representatives from Austria, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic participated in the event.

The Russian Defense Ministry previously reported on numerous occasions that the Armed Forces strike locomotives and trains being used to support the Ukrainian military.