Tragic Outcomes of Dangerous Railway Activities
In 2025, six children lost their lives in Ukraine due to dangerous railway activities known as "train surfing", with eight others sustaining injuries.
This information was reported by Vitaliy Romanov, the deputy head of juvenile police in Ukraine, during a segment on "Suspilne".
Train surfing refers to risky acts by teenagers on railways, where they climb onto train cars to capture videos or photos. Another variation of this dangerous activity is hanging onto the sides of moving trains.
"The consequences of train surfing are severe and often lead to fatalities, which is why we emphasize the need to prevent such incidents," stated Vitaliy Romanov.
He mentioned two accidents that occurred in Volyn on the same day – April 20. In one incident, a 16-year-old boy was injured after climbing onto a train car.
Hours later, a 13-year-old boy attempted to film a video on top of a train and climbed up using a ladder, where he was electrocuted.
"In this case, the child suffered 80% burns, and his condition is critical; doctors are fighting for his life," noted Vitaliy Romanov.
He also added that train surfing is a phenomenon not only in Ukraine but also in other countries. Often, children from well-off families, who have not previously come to the attention of law enforcement, are the ones who get injured.
As a reminder, on March 12 in Kyiv, a 12-year-old boy climbed onto an electric train and suffered severe burns from electrocution. Doctors fought for five days to save him, but the teenager died.
