(Reuters) – Ukrainian forces shelled a village in the Russian Bryansk region bordering Ukraine early on Tuesday, the local governor said in a social media post, a day after an explosion derailed a freight train in the region.
“In the morning, the Armed Forces of Ukraine shelled the village of Kurkovichi in the Starodubsky municipal district.” Bryansk Governor Alexander Bogomaz said in a post on his Telegram channel.
“There were no casualties. As a result of the shelling, a fire broke out in one of the households. All emergency services are on site.”
Reuters was not able to independently verify the report. Ukraine almost never publicly claims responsibility for attacks inside Russia and on Russian-controlled territory in Ukraine. The military, however, reports daily on activities and troops movements in battlefield areas.
On Monday, a locomotive and seven freight wagons were derailed in Bryansk after an unidentified explosive device went off, Bogomaz said.
Russian authorities say the region – which borders both Ukraine and Belarus – has seen multiple attacks by pro-Ukrainian sabotage groups in the 14 months since Russia invaded. On Saturday, the governor said four civilians died when a village was struck by shelling from the Ukrainian side of the border.
(Reporting by Lidia Kelly in Melbourne; Editing by Simon Cameron-Moore)
