Russian Railways on brink of bankruptcy - Ukraine's intelligence The load on Russian Railways (RZhD) has been falling for 20 consecutive months, effectively bringing the national operator to the verge of bankruptcy. Last year, the decline reached 4%, and in the first five months of 2025, it exceeded 7%. Some 300,000 carriages, or almost 20% of the entire fleet, stand idle. According to intelligence analysts, Russian Railways suffers chronic staff shortage as thousands of locomotive crews are understaffed due to military mobilization, emigration, and lack of migrant workers. The company falls short of 2,500 train drivers and nearly 3,000 employees in other positions.