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Pro-Ukraine partisans sabotage railway in Russia-occupied Donetsk Oblast, group claims

by Lucy Pakhnyuk June 1, 2025 5:34 AM 1 min read
Footage that allegedly shows a railway relay box being set on fire by pro-Ukrainian partisans in occupied Donetsk Oblast. Footage published on June 1, 2025. (Atesh / Telegram)
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The Atesh partisan group sabotaged a railway in occupied Donetsk Oblast, disrupting Russian logistics, the group claimed in a Telegram post on June 1.

Operatives with the group destroyed a relay box on the new Volnovakha-Mariupol railway, which was recently built by occupying Russian forces. As a result, the railway signalling and traffic control system was disrupted, Atesh said.

The impacted railway has been reportedly used by Russian forces to deliver fuel, equipment, and ammunition directly to the frontline.

The Volnovakha-Mariupol railway connects occupied Donetsk oblast to Taganrog, a city in southwestern Russia, allowing Moscow's military forces to bypass Crimea and transfer cargo faster and with fewer risks, according to Atesh.

Atesh further claimed that damaging infrastructure in this direction is key to disrupting supply lines and increasing the vulnerability of occupying Russian forces.

"We continue to hit the enemy's critical points. Each hit reduces their combat effectiveness," Atesh wrote.

The Kyiv Independent could not verify these claims.

The Atesh movement regularly commits sabotage attacks on Russian territory and in Russian-occupied areas of Ukraine.

Partisans reported a similar railroad in Russia's Smolensk Oblast in May.

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