Social media pictures showed several tank wagons lying on their sides and dark gray smoke billowing in the air near the derailment site in the Bryansk area.

Russian Railways, Russia’s railway operator, confirmed that the incident took place at 10:17 Moscow Time (0717 GMT). The report said that the locomotive and seven wagons derailed, and the locomotive caught on fire.

In a Telegram post, Bryansk Governor Alexander Bogomaz stated that "an unidentified explosive went off at 136 kilometres on the Bryansk — Unecha railway line derailing a freight train."

Russian authorities claim that the region, which borders Ukraine and Belarus, has been the scene of multiple pro-Ukrainian attacks in the 14-month period since Russia invaded. The governor reported that four civilians were killed after Kyiv shelled an adjacent village on Saturday.

According to the governor, the site of the incident is approximately 60 km (37 miles), north of Russia’s border with Ukraine.

He didn’t say who the attackers were.

Separately the governor of Russia’s Leningrad Region near St. Petersburg reported that a powerline had been blown overnight and that an explosive device was found near a secondary line.

On Monday morning, Governor Alexander Drozdenko shared photos of the destroyed power lines and metal support on his Telegram account. He stated that the Russian FSB federal service was on site and refused to say who he thought was responsible.

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