Chaos at Russian Borders: Two Trains Derail, Bridges Collapse in Kursk and Bryansk
Border regions of Kursk and Bryansk in Russia experience bridge collapses.
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The quiet nights of the border regions in Bryansk and Kursk turned chaotic as two bridges crumbled and two trains derailed. In the district of Schelesnogorsk, a bridge came tumbling down as a freight locomotive passed over it. The governor of Kursk, Alexander Chinschtein, confirmed the incident on Telegram early morning, with the locomotive drivers sustaining injuries and being rushed to the hospital. The number of people on board the train remains undisclosed.
Governor Alexander Bogomas of Bryansk reported another bridge collapse a few hours prior. The highway bridge fell onto railway tracks, causing a passenger train approaching to derail. Fatalities have been reported, with at least seven deaths and 69 injuries, including three children.
Moscow Accuses Sabotage
Russian investigators are investigating the collapses as acts of sabotage, with both bridges having been destroyed by explosions. The bridge in Bryansk was blown up while a train from Klimovo to Moscow, carrying 388 passengers, was passing by the spot, according to Governor Bogomas. The state railway company reported the illegal interference in rail traffic occurred at 22:44 local time (21:44 CET) between the stations of Pilshino and Vygonichi.
The Ukrainian military intelligence service HUR has also reported a third incident: a freight train carrying fuel tanks and goods wagons was blown up in the Russian-controlled part of the Saporizhzhia region, disrupting an essential logistics transport artery for the Russian military in the occupied territories.
The military intelligence service does not officially claim responsibility for the bridge explosions, but has announced that the fight against the military logistics of the Russian occupiers will persist.
Possible Attack on Sumy
Kursk and Bryansk are situated in southwestern Russia and share borders with Ukraine. The bridge disasters might be connected to a potential new Russian offensive, as Russia has reportedly amassed 50,000 soldiers in the border regions, allegedly preparing for an assault on the Ukrainian region of Sumy. Sumy lies to the north of both Kursk and Bryansk.
Expert Analysis: Conflict Ahead?
In the wake of the bridge collapses and train derailments, military expert Nico Lange suggests that the Russian army might attempt to conquer three more Ukrainian regions: Sumy, Kharkiv in the northeast, and Dnipropetrovsk in the east.
Ukraine has been evacuating 11 villages in Sumy in anticipation of an impending Russian offensive. Reports indicate that a total of 213 settlements in the region have been evacuated due to the imminent danger to civilian lives caused by the continued shelling of border communities.
Russia has been intensifying its attacks on Sumy since it managed to drive out the Ukrainian army from Kursk in recent months, according to their own statements. The pronounced military tensions in the area combined with these recent incidents add to concerns about a potential escalation of hostilities.
[1] ntv.de, chr/AFP/rts
- Timeline: June 2, 2025
- Key Regions: Kursk, Bryansk, Sumy
- Investigation: Sabotage suspected
- Effects: 7 deaths, 104 injuries, two derailed trains, two collapsed bridges, disrupted logistics for the Russian military, evacuation of 213 settlements in Sumy region.
The Commission has also been consulted on the draft budget amidst political discussions, as the country grapples with general-news headlines of sabotage investigations and the chaos at the Russian borders. The derailments of two trains and collapses of bridges in Kursk and Bryansk have raised concerns, with possibilities of a new offensive against Sumy, a region in Ukraine bordering both cities, being discussed.
