English
Cropped CCTV picture from a factory near the train bombing site, showing someone — allegedly Ruslan Siddiqi — riding a bike shortly before the bombing.
In November 2023, Ruslan Siddiqi was arrested and accused of bombing a freight train three weeks earlier, on a track that was also used to transport military equipment in the context of the Russo-Ukrainian war.[1] The bombing derailed 19 wagons. He was also accused of attacking a military airfield a few months earlier using drones carrying explosives. The attack on the airfield did not cause any damage.[2]
After his arrest, Ruslan Siddiqi publicly claimed responsibility for the train bombing and the attack on the military airfield. He carried out both actions a few kilometers from his home and traveled to both sites by bike.
In a 2025 trial, Ruslan Siddiqi was sentenced to 29 years in prison.[3]
Techniques used
| Name | Description | |
|---|---|---|
| Forensics | ||
| DNA | DNA samples were collected from people living in a large area surrounding the train bombing site, including from soldiers and Ukrainian citizens, presumably because they were deemed potential suspects.[2] | |
| Trace evidence | Investigators found bicycle tire marks near the train bombing site.[2] This supported the theory that the person who carried out the bombing traveled by bike. | |
| Interrogation techniques | After his arrest, investigators were unsure of Ruslan Siddiqi's involvement in the train bombing.[1] They interrogated him and deduced that he was hiding something. Ruslan Siddiqi recounts: “They started asking various questions about what I was doing on [the day of the bombing]. I made a couple of blunders in my answers, and [the person in civilian clothes] who asked the questions realized that I was hiding something.” | |
| Mass surveillance | ||
| Civilian snitches | In the weeks following the train bombing, investigators interrogated many citizens in a large area surrounding the bombing site.[2] In particular, investigators interrogated a shop clerk in a village. The clerk told investigators that, before the bombing, someone wearing a camouflage jacket and carrying a backpack had passed by the shop. The clerk provided a description of the person, which investigators used to create a composite sketch. Three weeks after the bombing, Ruslan Siddiqi encountered a local cop who compared him with the composite sketch and arrested him. | |
| Video surveillance | CCTV footage from factories near the train bombing site showed someone riding a bike shortly before and after the bombing, wearing camouflage clothing and carrying a backpack.[2] This supported the theory that the person who carried out the bombing traveled by bike. | |
| Physical violence | Ruslan Siddiqi was tortured for several days after his arrest.[1] Under torture, he confessed to carrying out the train bombing and the attack on the military airfield. The torture included (click to show):beatings and electric shocks. | |