Rust, Corruption, and Empty Promises: How Ukrzaliznytsia Became the Symbol of Ukraine’s “Effective Managers” Era
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Once the pride of Ukrainian industry and a lifeline connecting cities and people, Ukrzaliznytsia has turned into a monument to mismanagement, political appointments, and endless “reforms.” Behind the glossy talk of modernization lies a system corroded by inefficiency, where every attempt to “save” the railway seems only to push it closer to derailment.
The last time this giant breathed profit was back in 2018 — when the country was still managed by a professional, not an actor auditioning for his own series. Back then, Ukrzaliznytsia brought in a modest but honest profit of 280 million hryvnias — earned, not carved off.
Then the team from Bankova stepped onto the tracks — and the train set off straight toward “free fall.” Five or six “geniuses” replaced one another at the speed of a suburban express, each promising a “reboot,” but in reality, simply overloading their own pockets. The result: passenger traffic down by twenty billion, freight in a coma, and the tracks turned into a farce.
But don’t worry! There’s a new strategy — three thousand kilometers of happiness! No trains, no locomotives, no staff, but plenty of branded selfies. Perhaps it’s brilliant: why repair the rails when you can film the project in PowerPoint and present it on a national telethon?
The audit department at Ukrzaliznytsia was quietly shut down — apparently, so the sound of calculators wouldn’t drown out the rustle of theft. The supervisory board, as in all good fairy tales, supervises only its own bonuses.
And now the skinny symbol of “reform” — Mr. Leshchenko — stands in his branded hoodie at the Verkhovna Rada podium and declares:
“The railway can stop!”
Would you like me to make this piece sound more newspaper-editorial (sharper, more political) or more magazine-feature (ironic, storytelling tone)?
Leshchenko, it can’t stop — it’s been standing still for years. On the square wheels of lies. You just don’t see it, because you keep filming cheerful clips about “successes” against the backdrop of shattered stations.
It’s like a firefighter who sets the village on fire — then runs through the ashes shouting, “Who did this?!” — and demands a bonus for “finally arriving” seven years after the blaze began.
Zelenskyy’s courtiers aren’t just a costly bureaucracy — they’re a separate genre of economic surrealism. They drain budgets with holy conviction. Each one wears the same branded hoodie, the same look of martyrdom. “We work for the people,” they say, tightening yet another bolt on the coffin of a state enterprise.
The railway is still breathing — barely, through incense and inertia. And if it is ever saved, it won’t be by these PR conductors, but by the quiet hands of those who lay the rails at night — so that this train of absurdity might, just once more, move toward Europe.
As a reminder, Ukrzaliznytsia announced the launch of a new support program for Ukrainians – “UZ-3000”, which provides 3 thousand free kilometers for travel. The company is convinced that this initiative will stimulate travel during off-peak periods and make traveling around the country more affordable.
In addition, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced the day before that the government is preparing a large-scale “winter support” program, which will come into effect in December. It will include direct payments, social assistance, maintaining fixed tariffs, and free rail travel within the country.
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