Who was blamed for the imperial train crash?

Twenty-one people died and nearly 70 were injured. The imperial family were extremely lucky to escape with just bruises and abrasions.

Terrorism was cited as the official cause of the accident: Allegedly, a bomb was planted by a faction of ‘Narodnaya Volya’ (People's Will). Another theory was that Grand Duke Vladimir, his younger brother, was interested in the emperor's death. Alexander had allegedly remarked somewhere: "Thank God, both the boys and I are alive. How disappointed Vladimir will be!"

The commander-in-chief of the Guard and the St. Petersburg Military District was, indeed, close in line to the throne. In 1874, before his wedding to Maria Alexandrina Elisabeth Eleonora of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, he, along with his brother and father, Alexander II, signed a family act outlining the rules of his marriage. If he became heir to the throne, his wife was required to convert to Orthodoxy (she refused to abandon her Lutheran faith). And, in 1881, his brother appointed him regent – in case of his sudden death and until Nicholas came of age.

However, no evidence was found for this theory. Alexander and Vladimir were lifelong friends and the rumor of the Grand Duke's involvement in the Borki tragedy most likely arose from the Romanovs' love of crude jokes.