Two train operators who tried to crash their locomotive into a fleeing bear have been fired from their jobs and face a charges of animal cruelty, state news agency RIA Novosti reported Monday.
A video of the incident uploaded to YouTube shows the train speeding up in an apparent bid to hit the bear, which was running down the tracks outside the northern Russian city of Norilsk.
The train was reportedly operating on a private railway used by the area's main employer, mining giant Norilsk Nickel.
Local prosecutors said the train increased its speed from 14 kilometers per hour to 18 as the operators attempted to hit the bear, which narrowly escaped, the report said.