Explosion Batters Military Transport Rails Between Russia and Belarus

A portion of a railway linking Russia to Belarus was damaged by an explosive device Monday night, according to a report from Russia state-owned news source RIA Novosti.

According to the report, the explosion blew up parts of the track between the Russian towns of Novozybkiv and Zlinka in the Bryansk region, which borders Belarus and Ukraine to its west and south, respectively.

The monitoring group Belarusian Gayun tweeted photos of the blast and said the railway was "actively used for military transport between Russia and Belarus."

Alexander Bogomaz, governor of the Bryansk region, also posted about the explosion on his Telegram account, and said that while the tracks were damaged, no casualties had been reported. It is unclear at this time who is responsible for the blast.

The explosion was reported on the eight-month anniversary of the Russia-Ukraine war. Belarus has been an important ally for Russia even before its invasion of Ukraine, including allowing Russian troops to mount along its Ukrainian border in January and February.

Last week, Belarus announced that it was preparing for war on its home front by distributing weapons throughout the country. Head of the Ministry of Emergency Situations Vadym Sinyavskyi said the weapons are in place so citizens can "protect the motherland."

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko announced that there would be a joint regional grouping for both Belarusian and Russian troops in response to "increased tensions on its western borders." On Friday, the British Ministry of Defense said Belarus "likely maintains minimum capacity" to join Russian forces in the war against Ukraine.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said during a video briefing Monday night that Ukraine has continued to "break" the Russian army after eight months of war, calling the Russian military a "beggar" for relying on weapons from Iran.

Zelensky also acknowledged that Ukraine will have to continue to fight during the winter months, which are anticipated to push the Ukraine military to its limits during what Zelensky said will be the "most difficult" winter in Ukraine's history.

The Ukrainian president told his viewers during the address that the country would have to continue "to maintain the maximum mobilization of our partners for the sake of the struggle for freedom and not allow our common enemy to split the global pro-democracy coalition."

"This is what we do, all Ukrainians, Europeans, all people of the world who value freedom," Zelensky added.

Newsweek has reached out to the Russian Defense Ministry for comment.