Finland will provide Ukraine with 10 diesel locomotives to replace those destroyed by Russian attacks
Kyiv • UNN
Finland will provide Ukraine with 10 diesel locomotives and spare parts worth €2.1 million free of charge. They will replace locomotives damaged by Russian strikes.
The Finnish government has decided to transfer 10 diesel locomotives and spare parts for them to Ukraine free of charge, with a total value of approximately €2.1 million. The equipment will help replace locomotives that Russian forces destroyed or damaged during attacks on Ukraine’s railway system. This was reported by the Finnish broadcaster Yle, writes UNN.
Details
Ukraine will receive locomotives from the Finnish railway company VR Group that have already reached the end of their service life in Finland. At the same time, the equipment is planned to be used for the needs of Ukraine’s railway system.
The decision to transfer the locomotives was made on October 22 at an extraordinary general meeting of VR Group. The company will first transfer ownership of the equipment to the Finnish state, after which the government will send it to Ukraine.
Russia is increasingly attacking Ukrainian locomotives
According to the Finnish government, Ukraine requested assistance because of the significant losses of railway equipment resulting from Russian strikes.
Previously, Russian forces mainly attacked railway tracks, bridges, and electrical substations. However, recently they have increasingly been carrying out strikes directly against trains, particularly locomotives.
Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, Russian attacks have destroyed or damaged hundreds of Ukrainian locomotives.
The Finnish government emphasized that the transfer of 10 diesel locomotives and spare parts would not affect the operations of VR Group or rail services in Finland.