A Russian court in the Belgorod oblast sentenced two people to three and a half years of service in a strict regime colony (Russian prison combining detention and compulsory work). The verdict was based on the grounds of suspected sabotaging action on the railway near the border with Ukraine. This is the first official sentence for individuals affiliated with railway infrastructure attacks in Russia, even though no confirmed perpetrators have been convicted.

Reports from Reuters and Russian state-run news agency TASS said that the court ruled against the defendants because their suspected plotting to sabotage railway infrastructure could result in train derailment and military and railway equipment damage.

Railway attacks in Russia

Russian authorities did not disclose the locations where the alleged sabotage plotters were planning to hit. Nevertheless, it is not the first time that something similar would happen – even though no attack took place in this case.

Russia might be targeting Ukrainian railway infrastructure; however, many eyes are turned to rail tracks on Russian soil. Railway infrastructure is critical for Russia to maintain its forces at the front and transport military equipment. That is why it has been targeted by guerilla groups before.

For instance, in October 2022, the ‘Stop the Wagons’ movement bombed and damaged tracks on the line connecting Bryansk, in Russia, with Gomel, in Belarus. A few days later, another attack by the ‘Liberty of Russia Legion’ saw a Russian fuel-carrying train set on fire in Yekaterinburg. Moreover, similar actions have been taken in a railway facility in Donetsk and a railway bridge in Belgorod. Yet, regarding the last two attacks, no one has assumed responsibility.

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