Seven dead after saboteurs bring down Russian bridge in front of train
A bridge collapsed in front of an oncoming passenger train in Russia's Bryansk Region on Sunday, killing seven people and injuring at least 69 others, the region's governor Alexander Bogomaz has said.
While the exact cause of the incident remains unknown, Russian Railways said the bridge pillar collapsed due to 'illegal interference with transport operations.'
The newspaper Izvestia cited a source who said the bridge may have been brought down by an explosion. However, emergency services and prosecutors have not confirmed that a blast occurred.
Multiple Telegram news channels have suggested that the collapse was likely caused by sabotage.
Bogomaz has not yet disclosed the number of victims, saying that "everything necessary is being done to provide assistance" to them.
Videos circulating in Telegram show a crushed train carriage with passengers being evacuated through shattered windows, and emergency services responding at the scene. The collapse also reportedly affected vehicles on the bridge, which fell onto the railway below.
Russia's Ministry of Emergency Situations (MChS) reported that fire and rescue units are actively working at the site of the bridge collapse. 'All necessary assistance is being provided to the victims. Additional MChS forces, emergency rescue equipment, and lighting towers for nighttime operations have been deployed to the area,' the ministry noted in an official statement.
Just days earlier, a freight train in Russia's Belgorod Region ran over an explosive device planted under the tracks, causing a powerful blast. According to the governor Vyacheslav Gladkov, the explosion damaged the railway's contact network but caused no casualties.
Both Bryansk Region and Belgorod Region border Ukraine and have seen numerous attacks.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Russia Today
37 minutes ago
- Russia Today
Kiev has run out of arguments at the frontline
A rapid spike in Ukrainian attacks deep within Russia is a sign that Kiev is running out of options on the frontline and is trying to remain relevant to its backers, information analyst and publicist Sergey Poletaev has told RT. Poletaev, co-founder and editor of the Vatfor project, referred to a recent series of drone strikes targeting airfields in five Russian regions, including in Siberia and Russia's Far East. Ukrainian media has touted the strikes, dubbed 'operation spiderweb,' as 'historic,' and claimed it dealt serious damage to Russia's 'strategic aviation.' The Russian Defense Ministry confirmed the attacks but stated that three out of five strikes were successfully repelled, causing no damage or casualties. The remaining two resulted in aircraft catching fire, which was quickly extinguished, according to the ministry, which also did not confirm the loss of any aircraft. Additionally, two bridges in Russian regions bordering Ukraine were blown up over the weekend. The damage caused by one blast derailed a passenger train, killed seven people and injured 71 others. The Russian Investigative Committee reported on Tuesday that both cases were 'terrorist attacks' planned by Ukraine to maximize civilian casualties. The attacks were launched shortly before the second round of peace talks between Russia and Ukraine in Istanbul on Monday. Kiev 'has brought its last arguments into play,' Poletaev said, commenting on what he called 'unprecedented sabotage activities of Ukraine.' 'They have run out of arguments at the frontline and are attempting to change the situation this way,' the analyst stated. According to Poletaev, the Russian-Ukrainian 'negotiation track will proceed sluggishly amid ongoing hostilities'. The demands presented by both sides at the talks are only as realistic as their ability to enforce them through military means, he opined. 'Each side, it seems, at the moment, is confident that it can enforce its demands in one way or another. Or, speaking of the Ukrainian side, perhaps they are pretending — which, in general, is emblematic of them,' he said. According to Poletaev, Ukraine and its EU backers are desperately trying to prevent the US from disengaging, as President Donald Trump 'appears determined to reduce American involvement in the conflict'. 'Both Ukraine and the EU are virtually pulling [Trump] by his sleeve to not let him withdraw from the war,' he stated, adding only major changes on the frontline could affect the dynamics of the conflict, with the roles of the US and the EU remaining unclear in its outcome.
Russia Today
2 hours ago
- Russia Today
Ukrainian Air Force admits modern Russian jets trump F-16s
Ukraine's Western-supplied F-16 fighter jets are outmatched by Russia's newer aircraft and missile systems, the head of the Communications Department of the Ukrainian Air Force, Yury Ignat, has said. Washington gave its NATO allies the green light to send their surplus US-made jets to Ukraine in 2023. 'We are getting Western equipment, we are getting aircraft. Today, we have F16s, we already have Mirages,' he said in an interview with the outlet Ukrainian Pravda published on Tuesday. 'They have already been in use. We understand that they are not the newest.' Ignat stressed the importance of the detection range of the jets' radar, and the strike range of its weapons. 'Unfortunately, Russia has planes today that see further, and missiles that shoot further. Even compared now with the F-16,' he said. Ukraine's older Soviet-era jets such as the MiG-29 and Su-27 are 'no comparison at all,' he added. 'It's like pitting a Makarov pistol against a sniper rifle.' The current modifications of the F-16 that Ukraine has 'cannot compete one-on-one in an air battle' with the newer Russian Su-35 multirole fighter, Ignat said in March. The total number of F-16s given to Kiev has not been released, but it is believed that Ukraine was given 18 last year. Three of the jets have been destroyed, Ignat has confirmed. Last month, Ignat admitted that US-designed Patriot air defense systems have also been struggling against Russian weapons. Russian Iskander cruise missiles 'perform evasive maneuvers' and drop decoy flares in their final approach phase, 'thwarting the Patriot's trajectory calculations,' he told Le Monde. Russia has repeatedly condemned the supplies of Western armaments to Kiev, stressing that they will not change the course of the conflict, and slammed F-16 deliveries as an escalation. Russian President Vladimir Putin has warned that if jets taking part in the conflict take off from air bases outside Ukraine, Moscow would consider those bases to be hostile.
Russia Today
4 hours ago
- Russia Today
Russia to increase gas supplies to European country
Moscow and Belgrade are negotiating a long-term deal for increased gas deliveries to Serbia after the current contract expires in September, the Russian Embassy in Belgrade has told Izvestia. The landlocked Balkan country relies heavily on Russian energy supplies, and has refused to support Western sanctions on Moscow over the Ukraine conflict. The existing agreement, which allows Belgrade to buy gas at a favorable price, was recently extended through September, ensuring continued deliveries amid ongoing negotiations for a long-term contract. 'Negotiations on the continuation of Russian gas supplies to Serbia after this date are underway,' the embassy told the news outlet on Monday. Under the terms of the extension, Gazprom will supply Serbia with 6.1 million cubic meters of gas per day at a price of €290 per 1,000 cubic meters. The rate is below the current European average of around €360, according to Dusan Bajatovic, the CEO of Srbijagas, Serbia's state-owned gas importer and distributor. Serbian Ambassador to Russia Momcilo Babic also confirmed that the new supply contract is being discussed, adding that boosting gas deliveries was agreed upon at a meeting in Moscow between Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and Russian President Vladimir Putin on May 9. Vucic visited the Russian capital last month to attend the Victory Day celebrations. 'This question was resolved at the meeting of the two presidents,' he was quoted as saying. Babic said, however, that no date has been set for signing the deal and that the specific volumes of future supplies have yet to be determined. Serbia currently receives Russian gas via the TurkStream pipeline, which transits through Türkiye and Bulgaria. The country relies on Russian gas for over 80% of its consumption. Energy experts cited by Izvestia have warned that raising gas volumes may not be technically possible without reopening major transit routes such as Nord Stream, the Yamal-Europe pipeline, or restoring flows through Ukraine.
