Rail Explosions Killing Seven: Russia Accuses Ukraine

Russia on Tuesday said Ukraine was behind rail blasts in its western border regions that derailed a passenger train, killing seven people and wounding dozens more at the weekend. The deadly explosion in Russia's Bryansk region that borders Ukraine caused a road bridge to collapse onto a railway line late Saturday and derail a passenger train, the authorities said. "The terrorists, acting on the orders of the Kyiv regime, planned everything with maximum precision so that hundreds of innocent civilians would come under their attacks," Russia's Investigative Committee said in a statement posted on Telegram. Moscow had previous said the blasts were an act of "terrorism" though had not directly pointed the finger at Kyiv.

Investigators said they had retrieved pieces of explosive devices from the accident site and have gathered testimonies of eyewitnesses and the wounded. A separate rail bridge in the neighbouring Kursk region was blown up hours later in the early hours of Sunday, derailing a freight train and injuring the driver. When asked earlier on Tuesday, the Kremlin declined to offer more details on the bridge blasts, pointing to the ongoing investigation.  Russia's has been hit by dozens of sabotage attacks since Moscow launched its military offensive on its neighbour in 2022, many targeting its vast railroad network. Kyiv says Russia uses railroads to transport troops and weaponry to its forces fighting in Ukraine.