Russian railway bridges collapse in 2 regions bordering Ukraine, officials say

LONDON — At least seven people were killed and 66 injured when a railway bridge collapsed and a train derailed in Russia’s western Bryansk region overnight, following what one local official said was “an explosion” on the route.

Train operator Moscow Railway said the number 68 passenger train was traveling from the Belgorod border town of Klimov to Moscow when it derailed “due to the collapse of the superstructure of the road bridge as a result of illegal interference in transport operations.”

“There was an explosion on the bridge on the highway while the Klimov-Moscow train was moving, which had 388 passengers on board,” Bryansk Gov. Aleksandr Bogomaz said during an interview on the Rossiya-24 TV channel, as quoted by the state-run TASS news agency.

Bogomaz said on Telegram that seven people were killed and 66 people were injured, 47 of whom were hospitalized

A second railway bridge collapsed overnight in the Russian region of Kursk — another border region neighboring Bryansk to its north — derailing a passing freight train.

“Part of the train fell onto a road underneath the bridge,” Alexander Khinshtein, the acting regional governor, said. At least one worker was injured, he added.

Andrei Klishas, the chairman of Russia’s Federation Council Committee on State Construction, claimed on Telegram that Ukraine was responsible for the deadly incident in Bryansk.

“The blowing up of the bridge and the derailment of the passenger train in the Bryansk region indicate that Ukraine is controlled by a terrorist group,” he wrote.

The Kremlin said in a statement that President Vladimir Putin “was briefed on the situation,” receiving updates from the Federal Security Service and the Emergencies Ministry.

Andriy Kovalenko, the head of the Counter-Disinformation Center operating as part of Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council, disputed suggestions of Ukrainian involvement in a Telegram post — linking the allegations to Monday’s planned peace talks in Istanbul, Turkey.

“It seems that the Kremlin is preparing the ground for the disruption of the talks,” Kovalenko wrote. “Ukraine has no motive to disrupt the Istanbul summit. On the contrary, Ukraine agreed to a ceasefire long ago. Therefore, a rail war in the style of World War II is an argument for Russian propaganda, not an instrument of our policy.”

Ukrainian intelligence services have in the past claimed responsibility for attacks on Russia’s railway networks intended to hamper Moscow’s military logistics, while also sharing reports of arson and other sabotage operations against Russian railways without explicitly claiming responsibility.

On Sunday, for example, Ukrainian military intelligence — GUR — reported an explosion on a railway in occupied southern Ukraine on Saturday night, which it said derailed a freight train that was heading toward occupied Crimea.

“As a result of an explosion on the railway track, the train with fuel tanks and freight cars derailed,” the GUR said in a statement. “The key logistical artery of Muscovites in the occupied territories of Zaporizhzhia region and Crimea was disrupted.”

“The fight against the military logistics of the Russian occupiers continues,” the GUR statement added.

Ukrainian strikes in the Russian border regions of Bryansk, Kursk and Belgorod have become commonplace over more than three years of Moscow’s full-scale invasion of its neighbor. These have included ground incursions by Ukrainian forces, most notably in the Kursk region.