Russia. The train derailed near Ryazan. They are checking whether it was an act of terrorism

On the Telegram channel of the Investigative Committee Russia It was announced on Saturday that criminal proceedings had been initiated under articles on terrorism and illegal acquisition, transfer or storage of explosive devices.

According to investigators, on Saturday, after 7 a.m. (9 a.m. in Poland), an improvised explosive device was detonated on the 204th kilometer of the railway route in the Ryazan Oblast. As a result, 19 wagons derailed, 15 of which were damaged.

The derailment of the train carrying mineral fertilizers was first reported by the Moscow Railway, emphasizing that it could have been caused by “the intervention of unauthorized persons.” Locals reported that they heard the sound of an explosion before the wagons derailed.

Telegram channels Mash and Shot report that in Ryazan, about 200 km southeast of Moscow, security forces are looking for two people who local residents saw on the railway tracks near Diaghilev station. Shot also claims there were two improvised explosive devices on the tracks, which exploded when a freight train ran over them. Mash reported that the windows in the driver’s cab were broken.

The Russian independent website Mediazona notes that the derailment of the train in the Ryazan Oblast was most likely the first act of sabotage on the railway so close to Moscow.

According to Mediazona’s findings, approximately 150 railway sabotage cases have been initiated in Russia since the beginning of the war. Within six months, the number of people accused of this act doubled.

The number of cases began to increase particularly rapidly after the inclusion of new articles in the Criminal Code. The maximum penalty for this now can be life imprisonment. One third of those accused of such an act are minors.