39 railcars derailed, 7 fuel tankers on fire in Russia, investigation underway

Russia’s Ural region sits far from the shooting war in Ukraine, which is one reason an orange glow and black smoke above a freight line west of Yekaterinburg drew attention on Russian Telegram channels before dawn on October 26. By mid-morning, the mystery was less what had burned than what had put the train on the ground.

Thirty-nine cars of a freight train came off the tracks on the Reshety-Aramil line in Russia’s Sverdlovsk region early Monday, and seven fuel tank cars caught fire, Russia’s state news agency TASS reported. The derailment happened at about 01:30 local time between Makartsevo and Sedelnikovo stations. There were no casualties, and the fire was contained to an area of 1,500 square meters.

By the end of the day Russia’s Emergencies Ministry had deployed 316 people and 35 pieces of equipment to the site, including 58 personnel from federal reserves, according to Russian outlet Izvestia. The seven burning tank cars were uncoupled and the remaining cars moved to safety. Open flames were out by Monday afternoon.

Residents told to stay indoors

Local authorities asked residents in the fire plume’s path to stay inside, close their windows, and wear masks and respirators, independent Russian-language outlet Meduza reported. Russia’s consumer-safety agency Rospotrebnadzor announced air quality tests for pollutants typical of fuel fires. TASS later said no excessive levels of harmful substances in the air had been recorded.

The contents of the burning tank cars have not been officially disclosed. Several outlets described them as fuel tankers, and witnesses reported hearing explosions before seeing the fire, Ukrainian state agency Ukrinform wrote, citing the Russian Telegram channel Astra.

Investigators on scene, no cause announced

Russia’s Transport Investigative Directorate of the Investigative Committee has opened an inquiry, Ukrinform reported, and investigators and forensic specialists were at the site by Monday morning, Chinese state wire Xinhua reported. No official cause had been announced by Monday evening.

No Ukrainian official or agency has claimed the incident, and Russian authorities have not pointed to any outside cause.

A long way from the front line

Yekaterinburg lies more than 1,500 kilometers east of Ukraine. Ukraine’s military intelligence directorate HUR has openly claimed deep-interior rail operations before: on November 13, 2025, it announced it had blown up a freight train on the Trans-Siberian Railway near Sosnovka in Russia’s Khabarovsk region, calling the line a route the Kremlin uses to move weapons and ammunition, including supplies from North Korea.

Russia’s rail network is the backbone of its military logistics, moving fuel, ammunition and troops to the front. The Reshety-Aramil line, which cuts through the greater Yekaterinburg rail hub, carries freight across the Urals and into western Siberia.

Rail traffic on the affected section was suspended through Monday while crews cleared wreckage and recovery trains hauled away the undamaged cars. Russian Railways has not announced when the line will reopen.

This article is made and published by Jens Asbjørn Bogen, who may have used AI in the preparation