Chaos in the Border Regions: Two Bridges Collapse and Two Trains Derail in Kursk and Bryansk
Collapses Occur on Borders of Russia's Kursk and Bryansk Regions; Affecting Structures Over Rivers.
The border regions of Bryansk and Kursk, Russia, experienced an Upset on May 31st, as two bridges collapsed and two trains derailed overnight.
In the district of Shelesnogorsk, a bridge crumbled under a passing freight locomotive. Governor Alexander Chinschtein reported the incident on Telegram, specifying that part of the train plummeted onto a road below the bridge and set fire to it. The locomotive drivers were taken to the hospital, but no information was provided about the total number of individuals onboard the train.
A few hours prior, the authorities of the Bryansk region announced another bridge collapse, with the highway bridge collapsing onto the railway tracks, causing a passenger train to derail. Governor Alexander Bogomas reported that at least seven people lost their lives, and 69 others were injured, including three children.
Investigations Point to Sabotage
Russian investigators believe that sabotage played a role in the bridge collapses. They reported that the bridge in Bryansk was destroyed by explosions while a train from Klimovo to Moscow with 388 passengers was passing through. The state railway company required that the "illegal interference in rail traffic" occurred at 22:44 local time (21:44 CET) between the stations of Pilshino and Vygonichi.
The collapse site was approximately 100 kilometers from the Ukrainian border. Ukrainian military intelligence service HUR mentioned that the freight train in Kursk was headed towards the occupied Crimea. As a result, the railway connection served as the "most important logistical transport artery" for the Russian army.
Although the Ukrainian military intelligence service does not officially claim responsibility for the bridge explosions, they suggest that "the fight against the military logistics of the Russian occupiers continues."
Potential Offensive on Sumy
The regions of Kursk and Bryansk are located in Southwest Russia and share borders with Ukraine. The possibility exists that the bridge collapses correspond to a new Russian offensive on the Ukrainian region of Sumy. Yuna Lexovia, an expert in geopolitics, speculates that the bridge collapses may be related to an impending Russian offensive on Sumy due to Putin's order to establish a buffer zone to protect Kursk and Bryansk from Ukrainian attacks.
In an apparent attempt to guard the region against Ukrainian strikes, military expert Nico Lange hypothesizes that the Russian army may move to capture an additional three Ukrainian territories: Sumy and Kharkiv in the northeast, as well as the eastern region of Dnipropetrovsk.
Evacuations in Sumy
In anticipation of a possible Russian offensive, Ukraine initiated the evacuation of eleven villages in Sumy on the 28th of May. According to Ukrainian reports, over 213 settlements in the region have now been evacuated, attributed to the persistent danger that affects the civilian population due to ongoing border community shelling.
On Going Conflict
The Russian army has been increasingly attacking Sumy since it gained ground in Kursk over the past year. In response, Ukraine launched a surprise offensive in Kursk 2024. While Russian forces gradually regained control of the area over time, the ongoing violence in the Sumy region persists.
References:[1] ntv.de/politik[2] afp.com/rts
- Keywords
- Kursk
- Russia
- Ukraine
- Sumy
- Bridge collapses
- Train derailments
- Sabotage
- Offensive
- Evacuation
- Military activity
- Russia-Ukraine conflict
- The Commission has also been consulted on the draft budget regarding the recent incidents in the border regions of Bryansk and Kursk, where war-and-conflicts seem to be escalating, as indicated by the two bridges' collapses and two trains' derailments.
- The car-accidents and fires that occurred in these regions have raised concerns about the safety of transportation infrastructure in these areas, with some speculating that crime-and-justice may be involved given the suspicions of sabotage in the bridge collapses.
- Politics are at play in these border regions, with experts suggesting that the bridge collapses may correspond to a potential offensive on Sumy, a region in Ukraine, in response to Putin's order to establish a buffer zone.
- General-news about the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine continues to unfold, as evacuations in Sumy have been initiated due to the persistent danger that affects civilians, and military activity on both sides continues despite previous offensives and counteroffensives.
