Russian authorities said sabotage is suspected after a freight train with 19 wagons derailed early on November 11 in the Ryazan region, injuring at least one member of the rail staff. The news comes on the same day that another suspected sabotage incident was reported at a Russian munitions factory.
Residents in Ryazon told local media that an explosion had been heard shortly before a train carrying fertilizer derailed near Rybnoye, some 200 kilometers southeast of Moscow.
Officials said an assistant conductor of the train was injured and is being treated at a hospital.
Local authorities said the incident occurred at 7:12 a.m. when “an improvised explosive device was detonated,” derailing the train.
A number of suspected sabotage cases have been reported in Russia following its unprovoked invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, although details usually are scarce and potential perpetrators are often unknown.
The derailment report came on the same day as another suspected sabotage incident took place at a gunpowder factory in Kotovsk in the Tambov region.
Witnesses said a fire broke out after an explosion was heard, according to several Russian news outlets’ Telegram channels.
The Emergency Situations Ministry of the region confirmed the fire at the factory, saying the blaze broke out in a detached one-story building.
No deaths or injuries were reported and the ministry said the fire was being investigated.
In June, four people were killed at the Kotovsk factory when an unexplained explosion rocked the site.
According to the Tambov Gunpowder Plant website, the factory "is one of the largest enterprises in the ammunition and special chemistry industry. It produces pyroxylin powders for all types of weapons, artillery systems of all calibers in service with the Army, Navy, and Air Force."