Attacks on trains: Russia arrests suspect
At the end of November, Russia is surprised by two explosive attacks on freight trains. Russia's domestic intelligence service suspects Ukraine to be the mastermind behind the attacks. Now a man from Belarus is arrested on suspicion of terrorism. It is being investigated whether he is responsible for further acts of sabotage.
Following two attacks on freight trains along the Baikal-Amur Mainline, Russia's FSB domestic intelligence service has arrested a suspect in the Siberian region of Omsk. The 52-year-old is a citizen of Belarus. At the end of November, he had carried out explosive attacks on two trains carrying oil products on behalf of Ukrainian secret services. Russian state media published an excerpt from an interrogation video in which an unrecognizable man admitted his responsibility for the attacks.
According to the FSB, cisterns containing flammable substances had ignited in one attack and blocked the railroad line. According to media reports, another freight train was then targeted on a detour route. The man is said to have acted on behalf of another suspect from Belarus who lives in Lithuania. In Belarus and Russia, so-called rail partisans have been in action for some time, carrying out acts of sabotage against freight trains - including those carrying military cargo - in order to stop supplies for the war against Ukraine.
Citing security circles, Ukrainian media also attributed responsibility for the attacks to the Kiev secret service SBU. "The Russians have fallen into the trap of the (Ukrainian secret service) SBU twice", according to Ukrainian law enforcement circles. It was "the second step of the SBU's special operation to decommission this important railroad line." According to the FSB, it is now being investigated whether the suspect now arrested on suspicion of terrorism is also responsible for other acts of sabotage on behalf of the Ukrainian secret services.
Since the beginning of the Russian war of aggression against neighboring Ukraine more than 21 months ago, a number of objects important to Russia's war industry have been the target of attacks. On Thursday, the FSB also reported the arrest of a 21-year-old Russian from the city of Kaliningrad near the Baltic Sea. According to the secret service, the man is said to have planned and carried out a series of arson attacks in several Russian regions together with other people on Kiev's behalf. The FSB information could not be independently verified.
Read also:
- Year of climate records: extreme is the new normal
- Precautionary arrests show Islamist terror threat
- Numerous oil, gas and coal lobbyists at climate conference
- COP28: Emirates announce fund for climate projects
In light of these developments, Belarus becomes a point of interest in the ongoing investigation, as Belarusian citizens are suspected of playing a role in the attacks on Russian freight trains. Additionally, there are allegations suggesting that Ukrainian secret services may have orchestrated these attacks, further complicating relations between the neighboring nations.
Source: www.ntv.de
