A freight train in Russia’s Bryansk region bordering Ukraine derailed for the second straight day after an “explosive device” detonated on the tracks, with no injuries reported, the local governor said on Tuesday.
“An unidentified explosive device was detonated near Sneetskaya train station,” Bryansk region governor Alexander Bogomaz said the day after a similar derailment in the same area and a string of incidents, while Kiev says it is preparing its counteroffensive .
“The incident resulted in the derailment of a locomotive and several wagons,” he added, adding that there were no injuries.
The station is located two kilometers from the region’s capital, Bryansk.
Another train sabotage was reported in the Bryansk region of western Russia, with 20 carriages falling off the rails after a series of explosions. Russian Railways called it “illegal interference,” according to RBC. This is a second incident in two days – another train carrying fuel was blown up yesterday. pic.twitter.com/itpUVN32kC
— Mary Ilyushina (@maryilyushina) May 2, 2023
On Monday, an explosion derailed a freight train, which partially caught fire, near the town of Ounetcha, closer to the Ukrainian border than Tuesday.
For its part, the state-owned Russian Railways reported in a statement that a freight train derailed Tuesday due to “interference in the work of rail transport by unauthorized persons,” without mentioning an explosive device.
The company said the incident happened at 19:47 local time (16:47 GMT) between Snejetskaya and the village of Belye Berega.
She said the locomotive and “about 20 cars” derailed and traffic on that section was halted.
Numerous acts of sabotage on railroads in Russia have been reported since Moscow launched its offensive against Ukraine in February 2022, but it is the first time this week that officials have confirmed attacks of this magnitude.