Russia: Explosion derails freight train in region bordering Ukraine

The local governor of Bryansk, Russia, said that a freight train derailed Monday (May 1) in the western region bordering Ukraine after an "explosive device" detonated on the rail tracks.Alexander Bogomaz said on Telegram: "An unidentified explosive device went off, as a result of which a locomotive of a freight train derailed." The official further added that there were "no casualties".

Images and videos from the site were shared on social media platforms, which showed plumes of dark grey smoke rising into the air and several tank carriages also seen laying on their side.

As reported by the news agency Reuters, Russian Railways, which is the country's rail operator, said the incident occurred at 10:17 (Moscow time) (0717 GMT). It said the locomotive and seven freight wagons were derailed and the locomotive caught fire.

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Russian Railways said in a statement that the front locomotive and seven wagons derailed "after the intervention of unauthorised persons in the work of railway transport" and as a result of the incident, "the locomotive caught fire".

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The authorities also revealed that the region where the incident took place borders both Ukraine and Belarus. In the aftermath of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the region has seen multiple attacks. The governor said four civilians died after Kyiv shelled a village just across the border on Saturday.

The governor also mentioned that the emergency services were working at the scene. The rail traffic in the area had been suspended. As reported by the news agency AFP, the state operator said firefighters were working at the scene and that there could be delays on passenger trains from the area to Moscow.

In another incident, the governor of Russia's Leningrad region near St Petersburg said a power line had been blown up overnight. He also noted that an explosive device was discovered near a second line.

On his Telegram page on Monday, Governor Alexander Drozdenko shared images of destroyed power lines and metal supports. Without giving any details, the governor said that Russia's FSB federal security service was working on the site.

Disclaimer: WION cannot independently verify the authenticity of photos and videos shared on social media.

Russian missile strikes on Ukraine

Russia fired missiles at targets across Ukraine overnight in its second major air strike in three days. The strikes caused a huge blaze in the southeastern Pavlohrad district, where 34 people were wounded and dozens of homes damaged.

The Ukrainian military described a fire in Sevastopol, on the Russian-occupied Crimean peninsula, as part of the preparation for Ukraine's planned upcoming counteroffensive.

Disclaimer: A number of claims and counterclaims are being made on the Ukraine-Russia conflict on the ground and online. While WION takes utmost care to accurately report this developing news story, we cannot independently verify the authenticity of all statements, photos and videos.

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