An explosion has halted train traffic for hours in Russias border Belgorod region

A diesel locomotive derailed in Russia's Belgorod region on Friday morning after an explosive device planted under the tracks damaged the rail, according to regional governor Vyacheslav Gladkov.

The incident follows what Moscow described as two Ukrainian "terrorist attacks" on railroad infrastructure earlier last week in the border regions of Bryansk and Kursk, which killed seven people and injured more than 100, including children.

"According to preliminary information, there were no casualties as a result of the explosive device planted under the rails. Train traffic was delayed for 2.5 hours. But now all trains are already running according to schedule," Gladkov wrote in a post on his Telegram channel around 6:50am.

Repair crews were quickly dispatched to restore the affected section in the Prokhorovsky District of the region, the governor said, noting that he was personally affected by the delays.

"My train only reached Prokhorovka due to the bombing of the railway tracks," he said in a video message. "Thank God that no one was injured, but there is damage."

On Wednesday, a similar case of railway sabotage occurred in the Voronezh region near the Ukrainian border, halting train traffic and delaying more than 20 trains.

Moscow has blamed Kiev for the recent string of incidents, following a ramp-up in Ukrainian drone raids and other attacks on Russian territory. President Vladimir Putin called the deadly train sabotage in the two Russian border regions "undoubtedly a terrorist act," aimed at disrupting the US-backed direct talks between Moscow and Kiev.

(RT.com)