Three Russian soldiers have died in eastern Ukraine after a train crashed into a Russian air-defense system, according to a new report.
A freight train crashed into part of a Russian Strela-10 short-range anti-aircraft missile system in Ukraine’s Donetsk region, one of the four regions Russia claimed as annexed in late September 2022. The incident happened on Monday night local time, according to independent Russian outlet Astra. Donetsk and the neighboring Luhansk oblast together make up the Donbas region.
Another two Russian soldiers were injured in the collision to the east of the Donetsk city of Horlivka, the outlet reported. Astra added that the driver of part of the air-defense system had lost control of the vehicle, veered off a bridge and was then hit by the train. Russian authorities have not officially commented on the report. Newsweek has reached out to the Russian Defense Ministry for comment via email.
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The Strela-10 is a short-range, highly mobile surface-to-air missile system designed to take down enemy aircraft. It uses an MT-LB light-tracked transporter, giving “the whole system the excellent off-road riding qualities” at speeds up to 38 miles per hour, according to the Czech Defense Ministry.
Russia has lost a confirmed 32 9K35 Strela-10 air defense systems in Ukraine, according to Dutch open-source intelligence outlet Oryx. However, the true tally is likely to be higher, as this includes only visually verified losses.
Donetsk, along with the southern Zaporizhzhia region, has been the focus of Kyiv’s counteroffensive in recent weeks after Ukraine began its concerted pushback against Russia in early June.
On Tuesday, Ukraine’s General Staff said on Facebook that Russia had attempted to recover territory around the city of Avdiivka, but that Moscow’s forces were unsuccessful.
Ukrainian fighters held off Russia’s attacks in eastern Donetsk, including assaults on the city of Marinka, Staromaiorske and Rivnopil, Ukraine’s military added.
In mid-August, Ukraine said it had retaken the Donetsk village of Urozhaine, just east of Staromaiorske. In mid-June, just weeks after the counteroffensive got underway, Ukraine said it had reclaimed several villages from Russian control, including Blahodatne, Makarivka and Storozheve just north of Staromaiorske. Newsweek has not as yet independently verified battlefield claims.
Ukrainian authorities later said they had captured the village of Rivnopil, followed a few weeks later by Staromaiorske.
Russian forces ploughed on with offensive operations in western Donetsk and the eastern part of the neighboring Zaporizhzhia region. However, they “did not make any confirmed gains on October 2,” the U.S. think tank, the Institute for the Study of War, said in its latest assessment.