Explosion in Russian border region derails freight train - governor

An explosion in the Russian border region of Bryansk derailed a freight train on Monday, authorities said.

Local governor Alexander Bogomaz said an explosive device went off along the Bryansk-Unecha line, 60km from Ukraine.

The incident, which occurred at 10:17 Moscow time (07:17 GMT), saw the locomotive catch fire and seven freight wagons derailed, Russian Railways said.

The region - which borders Ukraine and Belarus - has seen acts of sabotage since Russia invaded Ukraine.

The train was reportedly carrying oil products and timber. No injuries were reported.

"An unidentified explosive device went off at the 136-kilometre mark on the Bryansk-Unecha railway line, derailing a freight train," Mr Bogomaz said in a post on Telegram.

Images on social media showed tank carriages turned on their side with plumes of grey smoke billowing into the air.

On Saturday, Mr Bogomaz said four people died after Ukraine shelled the village of Suzemka, around seven miles (12km) north of Russia's border with Ukraine.

Meanwhile, power lines were destroyed early on Monday by a suspected explosive device in Leningrad Region, in north-west Russia, according to local governor Alexander Drozdenko.

The incident took place near the village of Susanino, some 60km (37 miles) south of St Petersburg, he wrote on Telegram, adding that the power supply to nearby settlements were not interrupted.

A second suspected device was defused, Mr Drozdenko said.

The sabotage occurred as Russia fired missiles across Ukraine in its second pre-dawn strike in three days.

The attacks caused widespread damage at a logistics hub in Pavlohrad, near the central city of Dnipro.

Dozen of houses were destroyed and 34 people were wounded.

Overall, the Ukrainian military said it shot down 15 of the 18 cruise missiles that had been fired.