Since the beginning of the war of aggression on Ukraine, Russia continues to refer to it only as a “military special operation.” However, the war against Ukraine is a source of bitter resentment among some war opponents within the country.
As the British Defence Ministry announced in its daily update on platform X, formerly known as Twitter, sabotage of Russian railways by war opponents continues to pose a significant challenge for the authorities. The independent Russian media company Mediazona reported that by October 2023, 76 cases of railway sabotage since the beginning of the war have been brought to court.
Saboteurs could face life in prison
Railway sabotage can lead to life imprisonment, as indicated by certain templates that have been placed on important parts of the railway infrastructure since the beginning of 2023. The Russian military logistics, including the supply for the war in Ukraine, still relies on the country’s 33,000 km long railway network. Particularly for a minority of young people, sabotage has become a popular means of protesting against the “military special operation” in Ukraine.
Image: kremlin.ru, CC BY 4.0, Putin Presidential Address to the Federal Assembly (2018-03-01) 16.jpg, via Wikimedia Commons (Image size changed)
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