Bomb blitz attack obliterates Russia’s longest railway tunnel severing key freight link with China in the Severomuysky mountains, Ukraine claims
- Ukraine blew up a Siberian railway that Russia used to transport military supplies
- The country's security service blew up the Severomuysky tunnel
- It comes at a time when Ukraine has stepped up its offensive actions against Russia
Ukraine's security service has claimed to have blown up a railway line in Siberia that Russia uses to transport military supplies.
Four explosive devices were detonated overnight as a freight train passed through the Severomuysky Tunnel in the Buryatia region, which borders Mongolia, a source told Reuters.
Such an attack, more than 4,000 kilometers from Ukraine, would be a striking demonstration of Kiev's ability to conduct operations deep inside Russia.
MailOnline could not independently verify the account or whether the rail route is used for military supplies.
Russian sources told Reuters that a train had caught fire in the area, but made no mention of explosives.
Four explosives were reportedly detonated overnight as a freight train passed through the Severomuysky Tunnel (photo)
Ukraine has increasingly turned to war with Russia in recent months, following 21 months of the bloodiest conflict on European soil in decades
Russia's Investigative Committee said in a statement that a fuel train caught fire in the Severomuysky Tunnel on Wednesday evening and there were no casualties.
Russia's Investigative Committee said in a statement that a train carrying fuel caught fire in the Severomuysky Tunnel on Wednesday evening, that there had been no casualties and that a preliminary investigation was underway to determine the cause.
Russian Railways, the state-owned company that owns and operates the rail network, said the train was stopped when they noticed smoke coming from a tank of diesel fuel.
An online statement said that train traffic has been diverted, slightly increasing travel time, but that transport has not been disrupted.
Ukraine has increasingly turned to war with Russia in recent months, following 21 months of the bloodiest conflict on European soil in decades.
Last week, a Ukrainian attack on a power plant on Russian territory in eastern Ukraine knocked out power to towns and cities in the region, authorities said.
Denis Pushilin, the pro-Russian leader in part of Donetsk, said most of the drones Ukraine sent to attack infrastructure were caught, but 'due to the massiveness of the strikes, not everything was shot down.'
“The situation is not easy,” he added.
The massive drone strike hit the thermal power plant in Starobesheve, a town just 40 kilometers east of the region's front line.
As a result, power was out in half of the regional capital Donetsk, and in half of the port city of Mariupol, about 90 kilometers south.