Authorities say the western part of Russia, bordering Ukraine, collapsed, killing at least seven people and injuring dozens of people.
It is unclear whether the two incidents (both involving trains) were related to neighboring Bryansk and Kursk on Sunday morning or the cause of the separate collapse.
State media reported that the Russian commission of inquiry described both incidents as a result of the explosion and marked them as “terrorist” acts.
Andriy Kovalenko, head of the Ukraine Center for the Opposition to False Information, was part of the Ukrainian National Security and Defense Commission, dismissed Russia’s allegations, saying: “Another temptation to portray us as 'terrorist states' to avoid dialogue.”
“It seems that the Kremlin is preparing for the collapse of the negotiations and has carried out smear attacks on Ukraine in the international media,” he said.
At least seven people were killed in Bryansk after a highway bridge drove into a bus and railway authorities “illegal intervention”.
The bridge collapsed in the Vygonichi district of the region, about 100 kilometers (62 miles) from the Ukrainian border, destroyed the moving train and injured at least 66 people, including three children, according to Russian authorities.
According to state media reports, Bryansk Region Governor Alexander Bogomaz blamed the collapse of his area in the explosion, saying the bridge was “blasted”.
Bogomaz said on the telegram that 44 people were hospitalized and were in serious condition, including one child. The train carries 388 passengers.
Russian media media Ria Novosti reported that those killed in the incident included train engineers.
According to the RIA, the train was traveling from the town of Krimov to the capital of Moscow when it was hit and derailed by debris from the bridge.
Images of the wreckage of the Office of the Central Moscow Transport Prosecutor showed that the earth, debris and concrete fell onto the passenger train and derailed while emergency services were participating in the scene.
The Moscow Railway said the collapse was caused by “illegal intervention in transport operations” without providing more details.
According to Tarss, passengers were evacuated from the wreckage and taken to a temporary accommodation center at a nearby station.
Bogomaz said railway workers later discovered damage to another part of the railroad tracks in the Bryansk area, adding that there were no casualties.
In this photo posted on Sunday, a damaged freight train was seen after the collapse of the railway bridge in the Kursk region of Russia. – Acting Governor of Kursk Region/Reuters
According to the acting governor of the region, a bridge in Russia's Kursk region also bordered Ukraine during another incident overnight until Sunday, as freight trains were crossing it, causing injuries to one of the drivers.
Acting Governor Alexander Khinshtein said in a telegram: “Part of the train collapsed on the highway under the bridge.” He added that the incident caused the train to catch up with the fire and emergency service personnel to put out the fire.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Sunday that Putin received the latest news about the two incidents from the Federal Security Service (FSB) and the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situation.
State media also reported that Russian leaders had discussed the incidents with Bogomaz and Russian railway chief Oleg Belozerov.
According to Ukraine's defense intelligence, in the third incident on Saturday night, Russian military freight trains were blown up near the occupied city of Melitopol.
“Due to the explosion, there were fuel tanks and trucks derailing on the rails,” the Intelligence Agency said.
The authorities added that freight trains are moving toward Russian-occupied Crimea through a “critical logistical artery” often used by the Russian army.
Since Moscow's full invasion of Ukraine, Kiev has responded to Russian aggression by launching attacks using drones, artillery and troops to attack Russia, artillery, artillery and troops into the Bryansk, Kursk and Bergorod regions. Pro-Ukrainian agents and sympathizers within Russia also carried out acts of sabotage on Russian targets.
Ukrainian defense sources said that in 2023, a fire ripped along a strategic railway tunnel in eastern Russia was attributed to the Ukrainian Security Service (SBU).
This story has been updated with other developments.
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