Ukrainian partisans from the movement Atesh have carried out a successful sabotage operation on railway infrastructure near Novocherkassk in Russia’s Rostov Oblast, 900 km from the Ukrainian border. By deliberately interfering with the traffic management system, they disrupted the schedule of trains transporting military equipment and personnel.
The “ATESH” movement operates in temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine and also Russia. It was founded in 2022 in response to Russia’s all-out war. Crimean Tatars, Ukrainians, and even Russians who were mobilized into the Russian army but now work for Ukraine are involved in the group, providing intelligence on enemy positions, depots, equipment, and personnel.
The railway hub in Novocherkassk is critically important for supplying the southern front, which covers the Zaporizhzhia and Kherson oblasts.
“The occupiers regularly transporting artillery shells and rockets for multiple-launch rocket systems through Novocherkassk," the partisans note.
Disrupting the railway hub has created a chain reaction of delays in critically important supplies for Russian occupation units.
Interruptions in the transport schedule will directly affect the intensity of attacks on Ukrainian cities and the combat readiness of Moscow's units.
In 2023, Ukraine liberated Kherson, the only regional center fully captured by Russian forces. Currently, Kherson suffers from regular Russian shelling, causing significant damage to infrastructure and residential areas. The city is shelled daily, and living conditions have remained extremely difficult for over three years.
As of 12 October 2025, Ukrainian forces have also carried out a successful counteroffensive on the Zaporizhzhia front, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reported. They advanced approximately 3.5 km forward and over 5 km along the front line. Currently, Ukrainian troops hold control over Prymorske, Stepnohirsk, Plavni, and partially Kamianske, continuing the operation.