#rail infrastructure

Ukraine bombed two parts of the Russian railroad system. The really cool part is that the bombings were almost 5,000 km away from Ukraine. Much of Alaska is closer to the targets than Ukraine is.

Ukraine’s Security Service is responsible for explosions on two trains traveling along a strategic rail route in eastern Russia this week, a Ukrainian defense source claimed Friday. The first explosion occurred Wednesday along the Baikal-Amur railway as the train passed through the Bessolov Severomuyskiy tunnel in Buryatia, in the eastern Siberia region of Russia that borders Mongolia, the source told CNN. With train traffic rerouted around the tunnel, the Ukrainian Security Service on Thursday targeted the second train as it passed over the nearby Devil’s Bridge, according to the source.

This coordinated attack was apparently carried out by individuals working WAY deep inside Russia. This was not a drone attack.

“The Russians have fallen into the SBU’s trap twice,” the source said, using an acronym for the Ukrainian Security Service. The twin bombings were a “special operation to disable this important railroad,” the source added. “The first freight train exploded directly in the Severomuyskiy tunnel. To maintain the traffic, the Russians began using a detour route through the Devil’s Bridge. This is exactly what the SBU was counting on: as the train was passing over this high 35-meter bridge, the implanted explosive devices detonated,” the source said.

Both sides are being rather cagey about the attack for different reasons.

Ukraine has not officially taken responsibility for the attack and the Ukrainian Security Service has not offered an official comment. CNN cannot independently confirm the explosions. Russia referred to the Wednesday incident as a “cargo train fire.” It did not call it an attack or blame Ukraine. It has not commented on the second incident. Russian Telegram channels reported news of two train fires in the area. Videos circulated by some Russian telegram channels show wagons on fire along a rail track, although it is not immediately clear which incident the videos are from. The Ukrainian source said the Russians use the railroad for “military logistics” and characterized the route as “the only major railroad connection between Russia and China.” The targeted trains were carrying fuel, the source said.

Ukraine may not wish to endanger people engaged in major operations deep inside Russia. While they could be actual SBU agents, it seems more likely that they're Russians who are anti-Putin or possibly even local contractors doing this for monetary rewards.

Russia may not wish to admit that Ukraine is capable of striking sensitive infrastructure in Siberia which connects it to North Korea and China. The Kremlin is desperately trying to project normalcy to Russia's population; if major trade and commerce routes can be seriously disrupted for a few days then that undercuts Putin's narrative.

Here's some footage from a Ukrainian news source which it obtained from the Russian Telegram channels BAZA and Mash.

We can see that this was a significant operation, not just somebody tossing a Molotov cocktail at a train or two.

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We are under a viaduct in a busy city centre. In front of us is a row of four red-brick pillars mounted on bluestone plinths. The concrete tops of the pillars support a heavy steel girder with arches curving between each pillar. The girder holds up a wide structure of more steel girders, which is diagonal to the line of the pillars. The ground is drab concrete. Perhaps ten or twenty metres away is a wall also holding up the wide structure. Instead of pillars, this red-brick wall has arches allowing people to pass through it. There are some simple graffiti tags on the wall; none of any great significance. The entire structure was built in the early 20th century, allowing trains to connect between two busy inner-city stations. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flinders_Street_Viaduct

Flinders Street, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

Land of the Wurundjeri-willam clan of the Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung tribe in the Kulin nation