For two days in a row, a freight train has derailed in Russia’s Bryansk region due to an “explosive device” placed on the tracks, according to the governor of the region. The incident occurred on May 2nd in the western Bryansk region, which borders Ukraine and Belarus. Russian officials have reported multiple attacks by pro-Ukrainian sabotage groups in these border regions since Moscow invaded Kyiv over a year ago.
Media reports suggest that both the locomotive and several cars of the train were derailed in the incident on May 2nd. A similar incident occurred on May 1st near Unecha, where the locomotive and seven freight wagons were derailed. No casualties were reported in either incident, and it is not yet clear who is responsible for the attacks.
The Bryansk region governor, Alexander Bogomaz, released a statement saying that “an unidentified explosive device went off near the Snezhestkaya railway station” and that “a locomotive and several wagons of the train derailed.” Russian Railways also released a statement confirming the derailment but did not mention an explosive device. They instead said that the derailment was due to “the intervention of unauthorized persons in the work of rail transport.”
The incident on May 2nd took place at 7:47 pm (local time) between Snezhetskaya and the nearby village of Belye Berega, where rail traffic has been suspended. The train’s front locomotive and around 20 wagons were derailed. The railway authorities have launched an investigation, and firefighters and recovery trains have been dispatched to the area.
On May 1st, the governor of the northern Leningrad region, Alexander Drozdenko, said that local power lines were blown up by an “explosive device.” The May 1st incident occurred at 10:17 am (Moscow time) between regional hub Bryansk and the town of Unecha, and the train was reportedly carrying oil products and timber. Images and videos shared on social media platforms showed plumes of dark grey smoke rising into the air and several tank carriages laying on their side.
A number of claims and counterclaims are being made on the Ukraine-Russia conflict on the ground and online. The authenticity of all statements, photos, and videos cannot be independently verified.
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