Saboteurs attempt to detonate railway line in Poltava Oblast – photo

Law enforcement officers have prevented a Russian sabotage attempt on Ukrzaliznytsia, Ukrainian Railways.

Source: Security Service of Ukraine (SSU); Prosecutor General's Office 

Details: The suspects attempted to blow up a section of the railway line connecting the central and eastern regions of Ukraine in Poltava Oblast. 

In order to carry out the sabotage, they placed a homemade explosive device near the track and under the railway relay cabinet for the power transmission lines. 

Homemade explosive device placed near the track.

Photo: Prosecutor General's Office 

The perpetrators planned to trigger the device using a remote control, the SSU reported. The suspects were apprehended at the scene. 

If the device had detonated, the Russians had hoped to disrupt logistical supply routes for weapons, ammunition and fuel for the Ukrainian Armed Forces. 

Mobile phones were seized from the detainees, which were used to coordinate their criminal actions with their Russian handler, a staff member of the 5th Service of the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB), whose identity has been established by the SSU. 

Ukrainian intelligence said that the FSB representative tasked the agents with carrying out the sabotage on the railway during the large-scale Russian air attacks on critical infrastructure targets in Ukraine on 21-22 March 2024. 

The investigation revealed that the perpetrators were residents of Kyiv and Kharkiv oblasts.

Photo: Prosecutor General's Office 

The Security Service investigators have served both detainees with notices of suspicion of sabotage committed under martial law conditions by prior conspiracy.

The Prosecutor General's Office reported that the suspects are currently being held in custody without the option of bail.

Support UP or become our patron!