Train Derailments in โRussiaS Leningrad Region Leave One Dead, Disrupt Rail Traffic
Gatchina, Russia – A train driver was killed and railway traffic disrupted โin Russia’s western Leningrad regionโข early Sunday following two separate train derailments, accordingโค to Governor Alexander Drozdenko. the incidents occurred hours after โขa separate โexplosion on rail โขlines in the Oryol region resulted in the deaths of three Russian national guard officers.
Drozdenkoโข reported via Telegramโ that theโ first derailment involved a single diesel locomotive near Semrino station in โthe Gatchina district. “The train โขdriver was killed. He was trapped โin the cabin and died in โan ambulance after being unblocked,” he stated. Social mediaโค posts, though unverified, appearโฃ to show aโข train car โoverturned several meters from the tracks.
A second derailment, involving a freightโ train carrying 15 empty tank cars, occurred further south between the villages of Stroganovo and Mshinskaya. โฃThis incident did not result in any casualties,โฃ Drozdenko confirmed.
A source โwithin Ukraine’s GUR military intelligence agency claimed responsibility for two of the incidents, though did not claim responsibility for the derailment that resulted in the driver’s death.The source toldโฃ AFP that targeted infrastructure โwas โฃ”destroyed along with โฃtheir fuel,” aiming to disrupt “critically significant logistical links in supplying the occupying forces in the Kharkiv and Sumy directions.” They โขadded that the โdestruction would cause “significant logistical difficulties” for Russian forces.
Russia’s railway network has experienced a โฃseries of derailments, blasts, and fires inโ recent months, which Russian authorities attribute to Ukrainian โคsabotage. While Kyiv typically does not directly claim responsibility for these incidents, it has consistently maintained that russia’s use of its rail network for military logisticsโข justifies such attacks, dating back to the start of the offensiveโ inโข February 2022. recovery efforts are currently โunderway at the Semrino station derailment site.