Bridge Collapses in Russia Raise Fears of Ukrainian Sabotage

Two separate bridge collapses in Russia’s Bryansk and Kursk regions have prompted serious concerns among Russian authorities, who suspect Ukrainian sabotage behind the incidents. 

The twin disasters, which occurred within hours of each other, have left several dead and dozens injured, intensifying already heightened tensions between Moscow and Kyiv.

According to Alqahera News, Russian officials believe the two incidents may be linked and deliberate. The first collapse occurred in Bryansk, where a bridge gave way just as a passenger train was passing underneath. Russian authorities confirmed that the incident killed seven people and injured at least 63 others, with local media later reporting the number of injured had risen to 73.

The governor of Bryansk said that the collapse was the result of an explosion caused by explosive devices planted beneath the bridge.

The devices reportedly detonated just as the train, en route to Moscow, was beneath the structure, causing it to fall onto the carriages. All passengers were civilians.

A member of Russia’s Federation Council described the event as a “terrorist act,” blaming Ukrainian intelligence and calling for an expansion of Russia’s buffer zone to encompass the entirety of Ukrainian territory in response to the attack.

Security sources in Russia also told local outlets that a group linked to Ukrainian intelligence had recently infiltrated Bryansk and was being actively pursued by Russian security forces in the days leading up to the incident, bolstering the theory of direct Ukrainian involvement.

In the neighboring Kursk region, another bridge collapsed as a freight train was passing over it. While no casualties have been reported so far, authorities have yet to confirm the cause of the collapse. However, Russian media noted striking similarities between the circumstances of the two incidents, raising suspicions that the Kursk bridge may have also been sabotaged.

In a related development, unconfirmed reports surfaced of a Russian military train being targeted in Melitopol, a city under Russian control in southeastern Ukraine. The reports claim Ukrainian intelligence may have been behind the attack, a development that could mark a serious escalation in hostilities between the two countries.

These incidents come amid renewed tensions along the Russia-Ukraine frontlines, as both sides brace for further confrontations. Moscow has not ruled out a forceful response if Ukrainian involvement in the attacks is confirmed.