Train Derailments in RussiaS Leningrad Region Leave One Dead, Disrupt Rail Traffic
Gatchina, Russia – A train driver was killed and railway traffic disrupted in Russia’s western Leningrad region early Sunday following two separate train derailments, according to Governor Alexander Drozdenko. the incidents occurred hours after a separate explosion on rail lines in the Oryol region resulted in the deaths of three Russian national guard officers.
Drozdenko reported via Telegram that the first derailment involved a single diesel locomotive near Semrino station in the Gatchina district. “The train driver was killed. He was trapped in the cabin and died in an ambulance after being unblocked,” he stated. Social media posts, though unverified, appear to show a train car overturned several meters from the tracks.
A second derailment, involving a freight train carrying 15 empty tank cars, occurred further south between the villages of Stroganovo and Mshinskaya. This incident did not result in any casualties, Drozdenko confirmed.
A source within 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 told AFP that targeted infrastructure was ”destroyed along with their fuel,” aiming to disrupt “critically significant logistical links in supplying the occupying forces in the Kharkiv and Sumy directions.” They added that the destruction would cause “significant logistical difficulties” for Russian forces.
Russia’s railway network has experienced a series of derailments, blasts, and fires in recent months, which Russian authorities attribute to Ukrainian sabotage. 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 logistics justifies such attacks, dating back to the start of the offensive in February 2022. recovery efforts are currently underway at the Semrino station derailment site.