Reports from pro-Kremlin media indicate that Ukraine’s security service has carried out a clandestine strike on a vital railway connection, linking Russia to China. Investigators have reportedly opened a criminal case into this attack.
A senior Ukrainian official with direct knowledge of the operation informed POLITICO that the SBU set off a series of explosions inside the Severomuysky tunnel of the Baikal-Amur highway in Buryatia, located approximately 6,000 kilometers east of Ukraine.
According to the official, “This is the only serious railway connection between the Russian Federation and China. And currently, this route, which Russia uses, including for military supplies, is paralyzed.”
The operation involved four explosive devices detonating while a cargo train was moving inside the tunnel. Subsequently, the Russian Federal Security Service and railway workers have been working to minimize the consequences of the SBU special operation.
While Ukraine’s security service has not publicly confirmed the attack, Russia has also not confirmed the sabotage. The state railway company RZHD of Russia released a statement acknowledging a fire incident on the railway line in Buryatia, attributing it to a diesel fuel tank issue.
This story has been updated with additional reporting.
