Two bridges blown up in Russia near Ukraine border; at least 7 killed, 69 injured ahead of planned peace talks

Russia’s Investigative Committee confirmed that both blasts were deliberate, linking the two incidents.

The first collapse occurred when a highway bridge over a railway in Bryansk collapsed just as a passenger train carrying 388 people to Moscow passed beneath it. (Photo: Screengrab/ X/ @BNONews)

Russian officials on Sunday said two separate bridge explosions in the regions of Bryansk and Kursk, both bordering Ukraine, killed at least seven people and injured 69 others, marking a significant escalation just ahead of proposed peace talks in Turkey. This is an update to earlier reports that cited only one bridge collapse in Bryansk.

Russia’s Investigative Committee confirmed that both blasts were deliberate, linking the two incidents. The first occurred late Saturday night at 10:50 pm local time (1950 GMT), when a highway bridge over a railway in Bryansk collapsed just as a passenger train carrying 388 people to Moscow passed beneath it.

Four hours later, in neighboring Kursk, a railway bridge over a highway was also blown up, showering the road below with debris from a freight train.

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Sabotage suspected, no claim of responsibility

While no official statement has come from Ukraine regarding the incidents, Russian lawmakers were quick to accuse Ukrainian special services of orchestrating the attacks.

“This is definitely the work of the Ukrainian special services,” said Andrei Kartapolov, chair of the defense committee of Russia’s lower house of parliament. “All this is aimed at toughening the position of the Russian Federation and stoking aggression before the negotiations. And also to intimidate people. But they won’t succeed.”

Meanwhile, Ukraine’s military intelligence agency HUR reported a separate explosion Sunday that derailed a Russian military train transporting fuel and equipment near Yakymivka, a Russian-occupied area of Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia region.

Also Read: | Russia proposes June 2 for peace talks with Ukraine, Trump says can sit ‘if necessary’

The agency did not claim responsibility or assign blame.

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The blasts come just a day before the United States expects Russia and Ukraine to begin direct peace talks in Istanbul. US President Donald Trump has demanded both sides seek a resolution and has threatened to withdraw support if negotiations fail. While Russia has signalled openness to talks, Ukraine has not yet confirmed its participation, saying it is awaiting concrete proposals.

(With inputs from Reuters)

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