Subversive activity is likely behind Sunday’s railway bridge collapse in Russia’s Kursk Region bordering Ukraine, the region’s governor, Roman Starovoyt, has said. There have been no reports of casualties linked to the incident, but it disrupted a rail line linking two Russian towns located near the Ukrainian border.
The Russian Investigative Committee launched a probe into the suspected act of terrorism, after the local authorities said the bridge was apparently damaged by an explosion.
“The information has been confirmed. That was an act of sabotage,” Starovoyt said in a video address published on Telegram, promising to provide further details at a later date.
The Russian investigators and security services are currently working to establish the suspects involved, as well as the power and type of the explosive device used.
The bridge linked the town of Sudzha, around 10km from a border crossing with Ukraine, with Sosnovy Bor. It was part of a railway line mostly used by freight trains, the governor told Russian media.
Kursk Region borders Ukraine’s Sumy Region. Starovoyt previously accused the Ukrainian forces of shelling border crossings in his region on April 29 and 30. There were no casualties in the incidents.