War

Pro-Ukrainian partisans set locomotive ablaze in Russia's Rostov-on-Don, group claims

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Pro-Ukrainian partisans set locomotive ablaze in Russia's Rostov-on-Don, group claims
A screenshot of a purported video of a sabotage attack carried out by agents of the pro-Ukrainian Atesh movement on Nov. 23, 2025. The movement claimed to have set an electric locomotive ablaze in the alleged act of sabotage. (ATESH/Telegram)

Members of the pro-Ukrainian partisan group Atesh sabotaged an electric locomotive allegedly used for transporting military cargo from the Russian city of Rostov-on-Don, Atesh claimed on Nov. 23.

A video posted of the purported sabotage effort shows Atesh operatives pouring a flammable liquid onto the locomotive. A second video of the purported attack shows the interior of the locomotive up in flames.

The sabotage operation is alleged to have "disrupted the movement schedules of trains carrying ammunition, equipment, and reserves" to the front line, the group wrote on Telegram.

The attack purportedly took place near Rostov-Tovarny, a freight railway station in the city.

The Kyiv Independent could not verify these claims at the time of publication, and the extent of the damage caused was not immediately clear.

Rostov-on-Don lies just 65 kilometers (40 miles) southeast of the Russia-Ukraine border and serves as a "main distribution hub for the Southern and Eastern force groupings," Atesh wrote.

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

Earlier this month, partisans reported a sabotage operation against railway equipment in Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia Oblast. The group said it destroyed a relay cabinet, delaying the transport of military personnel and supplies to the front.

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Dmytro Basmat

Senior News Editor

Dmytro Basmat is a Senior News Editor for The Kyiv Independent. He previously worked in Canadian politics as a communications lead and spokesperson for a national political party, and as a communications assistant for a Canadian Member of Parliament. Basmat has a Master's degree in Political Management from Carleton University in Ottawa, Canada, and a Bachelor of Arts in Politics and Governance from Toronto Metropolitan University.

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