Russia claims Ukraine behind blasts at railway line in Buryatia

By Burc Eruygur

ISTANBUL (AA) – Russia claimed on Thursday that Ukraine was behind two blasts that took place on the Baikal-Amur railway line in the Russian Republic of Buryatia at the end of November, temporarily blocking traffic along the route.

A statement by the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) said that a Belarusian man was detained in the Omsk region, who was found involved in the explosions on two trains moving along the Baikal-Amur Mainline (BAM) on Nov. 29 and 30. The suspect confessed to the blasts on the orders of Ukraine’s security service, according to the statement.

The statement said explosives were detonated while the trains were traveling through the Severomuysky Tunnel, resulting in a fire and temporarily blocking movement along the railway line.

“Further measures are being taken to verify the involvement of the detainee in committing other terrorist attacks and sabotage on the territory of the Russian Federation on instructions from the Ukrainian special services,” the statement concluded.

Last Thursday, sources in Ukraine’s law enforcement agencies told state news agency Ukrinform that the explosion on the BAM was a special operation by the country’s Security Service of Ukraine (SBU).

The BAM is a 4,324-kilometer (2,686-mile) railway line stretching from the town of Tayshet in the Irkutsk region to the Russian Far East.