An explosion on a key railway line in Russia's far eastern republic of Buryatia was the result of an operation of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), Ukrainska Pravda reported on Nov. 30, citing an unnamed source in the security service.
The explosion reportedly occurred on the night of Nov. 29-30 in the Severomuysky Tunnel, nearly 5,000 kilometers from Ukraine.
"Four explosive devices went off during the movement of the freight train," the source told Ukrainska Pravda.
"Now the FSB is working on the spot, and railway workers are unsuccessfully trying to minimize the consequences of the SBU's special operation," the source said.
The SBU has not officially claimed responsibility for the explosion.
The tunnel is part of the Baikal-Amur Mainline, a key railway route that runs north of the Trans-Siberian railway and is part of a network of tracks connecting Russia with China.
At 15 kilometers long, the Severomuysky Tunnel is the longest railway tunnel in Russia. Construction took 27 years, and it was opened in 2003.
While the SBU has not officially commented on the reports, Ukraine's military intelligence agency (HUR) announced on Nov. 30 that it had conducted a joint operation with local resistance to sabotage railway infrastructure in Moscow Oblast.
In a video the HUR posted to social media, a person in a snowy environment appears to set fire to two railway relay boxes, which control signals for train operators. The person appears to be acting alone.
"Disruptions in the work of the railway are becoming more frequent" in Russia, the HUR captioned the video.
"Fire, chaos, and paralysis on the Russian railway is another consequence of the Russian criminal war against Ukraine," the HUR said.
The Kyiv Independent has not independently confirmed the reports.
Elsa Court
