Russia’s trainspotters have spent years documenting the country’s railways. Amid the war, their hobby has put them in the crosshairs of the security services.

RailGallery administrators Denis Eskov, 35, and Anatoly Nagornov, 40, were arrested in Moscow on 14 October and face five to ten years in prison. They are accused of unlawfully accessing and publishing data, but authorities have not disclosed what was published or which organisation was affected; the case highlights how documenting railways has drawn security scrutiny during the war.

Sources cited by Bereg say the men may have used ASUT, a Russian Railways system for tracking locomotives, to help photographers find trains. Both reportedly worked for organisations affiliated with Russian Railways, and the site hosted images of special trains, including Vladimir Putin’s armoured train. RailGallery stopped loading the day after their detention, while the site’s team said the arrests came as a surprise.