Damage reported after train runs over explosive device in Russia's Belgorod Oblast, governor claims

Editor's note: This is a developing story and is being updated.

A rail line was damaged in Russia's Belgorod Oblast on May 25 after a cargo train ran over an explosive device planted underneath the tracks, regional governor Vyacheslav Gladkov claimed.

Following an explosion in the Novooskolsky district, the railway's overhead contact line damaged, Gladkov said. Train traffic has been suspended as a result of the incident.

Gladkov claimed that no one was injured in the alleged attack. The full extent of the damage was not immediately available, as emergency crews are assessing the damage.

Ukraine's military has not commented on the alleged explosion. The Kyiv Independent cannot verify claims made by Russian officials.

Ukraine's intelligence agencies as well as Ukrainian partisan movements have previously been involved in sabotage attacks on Russian railways, disrupting the transport of military cargo toward the front line.

Ukraine's Military Intelligence Agency (HUR) said Ukrainian drone operators destroyed three Russian fuel tanks during a strike on a train moving through occupied areas of Zaporizhzhia Oblast on May 24.

Ukraine's military currently has a limited presence in Belgorod Oblast, marking a second incursion into Russian territory, following a successful Kursk incursion in August 2024.