Two bridges have collapsed, causing trains to derail, in separate incidents within Russia, which Vladimir Putin's officials have blamed on "interference", a likely reference to Ukrainian saboteurs.
At least seven people were killed and 30 suffered injuries after a bridge collapsed and a train derailed in Russia's Bryansk region that borders Ukraine, the authorities there said.
A second bridge collapsed hours later, causing a similar derailment, according to a local governor. And a prominent Ukrainian partisan group claimed responsibility for an attack on relay systems in occupied Donetsk oblast that stopped movement on a new Russian rail line.
Meanwhile, hundreds of towns were under evacuation orders in Ukraine’s northeastern Sumy region, where Russian forces are focusing their attacks, as Ukrainian officials warned Moscow could be preparing a new offensive there.
Ukrainian officials this week warned of a potential new Russian offensive in the northeast. A State Border Guard Service spokesperson said on Thursday that Russia had amassed “sufficient forces” in the neighbouring Kursk region to launch an incursion, the Kyiv Independent reported.
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Key Points
- Two bridges collapse causing trains to derail in Russian border regions
- Saboteurs claim responsibility for disrupting railway in Donetsk
- Eleven more villages under evacuation orders in Sumy as fears grow of Russian offensive
- Zelensky says no clarity on Russia’s agenda ahead of peace talks
- Western officials admit Europe must 'get real' about Trump abandoning Ukraine
Among seven killed was locomotive driver, Russia's state news agencies report
08:10
,
Tara Cobham
Among the seven killed in Bryansk was the locomotive driver, Russia's state news agencies reported, citing medics.
Social media pictures and videos showed passengers trying to help others climb out of the Bryansk train's damaged carriages in the dark and firefighters looking for ways to reach passengers.
Some 180 emergency services staff involved in search and rescue mission in Bryansk
07:54
,
Tara Cobham
Some 180 personnel were involved in efforts to find and rescue victims in the Bryansk incident, according to Russia's Ministry of Emergency Situations.
It said on Telegram that the operation continued throughout the night.
Bridge collapse in Russia's Bryansk caused by explosion, governor says
07:30
The collapse of the bridge in Russia's Bryansk region was the result of an explosion, the region's acting governor said on Sunday, according to Russia's Interfax agency.
"The bridge was blown up while the Klimovo-Moscow train was passing through with 388 passengers on board," Interfax quoted Alexander Bogomaz as telling Russia's public broadcaster.
Locomotive driver injured in Kursk derailment
07:18
,
Tara Cobham
The collapse in the Kursk region occurred early on Sunday while a freight train was crossing the bridge, Alexander Khinshtein, acting governor of the region, and Russian Railways said on Telegram.
"Part of the train fell onto a road underneath the bridge," Khinshtein said. He added that the locomotive caught fire, which was quickly extinguished. One of the drivers sustained leg injuries, and he and the team operating the train were taken to a local hospital, Khinshtein added.
Recap: Two bridges collapse in different Russian border regions, causing train derailments
06:56
,
Adam Withnall
Two bridges collapsed in different Russian regions bordering Ukraine overnight, derailing trains and killing at least seven people and injuring dozens, Russian authorities said early on Sunday.
There was no immediate confirmation that the incidents were related, but a Ukrainian partisan group has claimed responsibility for a third incident overnight targeting signalling on a new Russian rail line in occupied Donetsk.
Both Kursk and Bryansk, the regions where the two bridges collapsed, have been subject to frequent attacks by Ukraine during the war that Russia started with its full-scale invasion more than three years ago.
Seven people were killed and 69 injured when a highway bridge collapsed onto railway tracks, derailing an approaching train in the Bryansk region late on Saturday, Russian emergency ministry and regional officials said.
Russia's Railways initially posted on the Telegram messaging app that the Bryansk bridge collapse was the result of an "illegal interference in the operation of transport", but the post was later removed. Prominent Russian military blogger Semyon Pegov, who uses the name War Gonzo, called the Bryansk collapse "sabotage."
Bryansk governor Alexander Bogomaz said on Telegram that 47 people were hospitalised. Three children were among those injured with one in serious condition, he said.
The collapse in the Kursk region occurred early on Sunday while a freight train was crossing the bridge, Alexander Khinshtein, acting governor of the region, and Russian Railways said on Telegram.
"Part of the train fell onto a road underneath the bridge," Khinshtein said. He added that the locomotive caught fire, which was quickly extinguished. One of the drivers sustained leg injuries, and he and the team operating the train were taken to a local hospital, Khinshtein added.
He posted a photo of derailed carriages on a damaged bridge over a road. Andrei Klishas, a senior member of the Federation Council, Russia's upper chamber of parliament, said on the Telegram messaging app that the incident in Bryansk shows that "Ukraine has long lost the attributes of a state and has turned into a terrorist enclave."
Russia's Baza Telegram channel, which often publishes information from sources in the security services and law enforcement, reported, without providing evidence, that according to preliminary information, the Bryansk bridge had been blown up.
Second Russian bridge collapses as freight train passes over
06:38
,
Adam Withnall
We’re getting more detail on the second bridge collapse in Russia’s Kursk region – hours after a similar incident in Bryansk.
The Kursk bridge collapsed while a freight train was passing over it, the acting governor of the Russian region bordering Ukraine said on the Telegram messaging app.
Unlike with the Bryansk incident Russia isn’t reporting any deaths in Kursk, but its governor Alexander Khinshtein said one of the freight train’s drivers was injured.
Saboteurs claim responsibility for disrupting railway in Donetsk
06:21
,
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
A pro-Ukraine partisan group has reportedly claimed responsibility for sabotaging a railway in Donetsk Oblast, which disrupted Russian logistics.
The Atesh partisan group issued the statement on Telegram this morning while two bridges collapsed, causing two trains to derail in Russia's border regions.
The group said it destroyed a relay box on the new Volnovakha-Mariupol railway, which resulted in the disruption of the railway signalling and traffic control system, The Kyiv Independent reported.
The Volnovakha-Mariupol railway, recently built by Russian forces, was used by Vladimir Putin's troops to deliver fuel, equipment, and ammunition directly to the frontline.
Breaking: Second bridge collapses in Russia
05:46
,
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
Another bridge has collapsed in Russia, causing a train to derail, the governor said, in what appears to be a coordinated attack on Russian rail infrastructure.
Earlier this morning, at least seven people were killed and 30 hospitalised after "illegal interference" caused a bridge to collapse and a train to derail in Russia's Bryansk region that borders Ukraine.
In pics: Russia's renewed offensive in Sumy Oblast
05:21
,
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
Russia steps up offensives in Zaporizhzhia, Donetsk, Sumy oblasts
05:02
,
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
Russia has beefed up its military offensive across Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia, Donetsk, and Sumy oblasts, Ukraine's commander-in-chief Oleksandr Syrskyi said.
Vladimir Putin's troops "have notably increased activity in the Zaporizhzhia direction, where they are conducting active offensive actions," he said.
The commander added that Ukraine's military was inflicting substantial losses on Russian troops, with over 34,000 Russian soldiers killed in May.
Hundreds of towns were under evacuation orders in Ukraine’s northeastern Sumy region where Russian forces are focusing their attacks, as Kyiv officials warn it could be preparing a new offensive.
Mandatory evacuation orders were issued for 11 settlements yesterday, bringing the total number of villages under such an order in Sumy to 213.
Zelensky says no clarity on Russia’s agenda ahead of peace talks
04:18
,
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky said that there is no clarity on Russia’s position ahead of the upcoming peace talks in Turkey.
Mr Zelensky, in his evening video address, said: "We don’t have it, Turkey doesn’t have it, the United States doesn’t have it, and neither do our other partners".
"At this point, it looks far from serious."
The Ukrainian president previously accused Russia of “doing everything it can” to ensure that a next potential meeting between the two sides brings no results.
Ukraine has not yet confirmed whether it will attend proposed talks in Istanbul on Monday.
In pics: Seven killed in bridge collapse and train derailment in Russia
04:17
,
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
Seven killed in bridge collapse and train derailment in Russia
04:14
,
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
At least seven people were killed and 30 hospitalised after "illegal interference" caused a bridge to collapse and a train to derail in Russia's Bryansk region that borders Ukraine, Russian authorities said this morning.
The train's locomotive and several cars derailed "due to the collapse of a span structure of the road bridge as a result of an illegal interference in the operation of transport," Russian Railways said on Telegram.
Two children were among those hospitalised, one of them in a serious condition, according to Alexander Bogomaz, the governor of the Bryansk region.
Among those killed was the locomotive driver, Russia's state news agencies reported, citing medics.Russia's ministry of emergency situations said its main efforts were aimed at finding and rescuing victims, and that some 180 personnel were involved in the operation.
Russia's Baza Telegram channel, which often publishes information from sources in the security services and law enforcement, reported without providing evidence that the bridge was blown up.
Since the start of the war that Russia launched more than three years ago, there have been continued cross-border shelling, drone strikes, and covert raids from Ukraine into the Bryansk, Kursk and Belgorod regions that border Ukraine.
The train was going from the town of Klimovo to Moscow, Russian Railways said. It collided with the collapsed bridge in the area of a federal highway in the Vygonichskyi district of the Bryansk region.
The district lies some 100km from the border with Ukraine.
Russia launches air attack on Ukraine's capital
03:58
,
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
Ukraine's air defence units were trying to repel a Russian air attack on the capital Kyiv, mayor Vitali Klitschko said this morning.
More follows
Russia and Ukraine in spat over proposed June peace talks after Trump pushes deadline on Putin
03:00
,
Jabed Ahmed
Watch | Trump calls Russia-Ukraine conflict 'Biden's War'
02:00
,
Jabed Ahmed
Former Russian president threatens Trump with World War 3 after Putin criticism
01:00
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Jabed Ahmed
Bridge collapses in Russia's Bryansk region
Saturday 31 May 2025 23:59
,
Alex Croft
A bridge has collapsed in the Russian Bryansk region that borders Ukraine causing a traffic accident that involved a passenger train, the regional governor said early on Sunday.
"Unfortunately, there are injuries," Alexander Bogomaz, the governor of Bryansk, said on the Telegram messaging app.
He added that the collapse took place in the Vygonichskyi district in the area of a federal highway.
Russia's Baza and SHOT Telegram channels, which often publish information from sources in the security services and law enforcement, reported that the passenger train crashed into the collapsed bridge.
Baza reported, without providing evidence, that according to preliminary information, the bridge was blown up.
Reuters could not independently verify the Baza and SHOT reports. There was no immediate comment from Ukraine.
Since the start of the war that Russia launched with its full-scale invasion on Ukraine more than three years ago, there have been continued cross-border shelling, drone strikes, and covert raids from Ukraine into the Bryansk, Kursk and Belgorod regions that border Ukraine.
Russia's emergency ministry said on Telegram that it sent an additional deployment to the fire and rescue units already working at the site
Russian soldiers paid $200,000 for 'downing F-16 fighter jet'
Saturday 31 May 2025 23:00
,
Jabed Ahmed
A dozen Russian soldiers were awarded about $195,000 each for shooting down an F-16 fighter jet in Ukraine, according to Russia's TASS news agency.
Ukraine's Air Force in late August last year confirmed that a pilot had been killed during Russia's mass attack, which shot down one of the US-delivered F-16 jets.
"Forces has delivered on its earlier promise to transfer 15 million rubles to members of the Russian Armed Forces for downing the first F-16 in the special military operation zone," the company said.
US and allies accuse North Korea of ramping up military aid to Russia
Saturday 31 May 2025 22:00
,
Jabed Ahmed
Watch | John Healey: ‘Strategic Defence Review is necessary in a new era of threat’
Saturday 31 May 2025 21:00
,
Jabed Ahmed
Ukraine says it's ready to resume talks with Russia but needs clarity on Kremlin's terms
Saturday 31 May 2025 20:00
,
Jabed Ahmed
Recap | Russia claims control of Novopil in Donetsk
Saturday 31 May 2025 19:00
,
Jabed Ahmed
Russia's Ministry of Defense said on Saturday that it had gained control of the Ukrainian village of Novopil in the Donetsk region, and took the village of Vodolahy in the northern Sumy region. Ukrainian authorities in Sumy ordered mandatory evacuations in 11 more settlements as Russian forces make steady gains in the area.
The new additions bring the total number of settlements under evacuation orders in Sumy, which borders Russia’s Kursk region, to 213.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said some 50,000 Russian troops have amassed in the area with the intention of launching an offensive to carve out a buffer zone inside Ukrainian territory.
Speaking Saturday, Ukraine’s top army chief Oleksandr Syrskyi said that Russian forces were focusing their main offensive efforts on Pokrovsk, Torets and Lyman in the Donetsk region, as well as the Sumy border area.
Syrskyi also said Ukrainian forces are still holding territory in Russia’s Kursk region, a statement that Moscow has repeatedly denied. Russia said on April 26 that it had pushed all Ukrainian troops from the Kursk region after Ukrainian troops seized land there during a surprise incursion in August 2024. “The enemy is holding its best units here,” Syrskyi said referring to Kursk, “which it planned to use in the east.”
German chancellor to discuss Ukraine with Trump in White House
Saturday 31 May 2025 18:28
,
Alex Croft
Germany's new chancellor Friedrich Merz will travel to Washington to meet on Thursday with US president Donald Trump, a German government spokesman said on Saturday.
This will be Mr Merz's first visit to the United States since taking office on May 6, and comes amid high tensions between the trans-Atlantic partners over trade and the Ukraine war.
A statue of Stalin is unveiled in the Moscow subway as Russia tries to revive the dictator's legacy
Saturday 31 May 2025 18:00
,
Jabed Ahmed
Recap | Two killed in Russian attacks on Ukraine
Saturday 31 May 2025 17:00
,
Jabed Ahmed
Russian drone and missile attacks on Ukraine killed at least two people, including a 9-year-old girl, officials said.
Russian troops launched some 109 drones and five missiles across Ukraine overnight and into Saturday, the Ukrainian Air Force said. Three of the missiles and 42 drones were destroyed and another 30 drones failed to reach their targets without causing damage, it said.
The girl was killed in a strike on the front-line village of Dolynka in the Zaporizhzhia region, and a 16-year-old was injured, Zaporizhzhia’s Gov. Ivan Fedorov said.
A man was killed by Russian shelling in Ukraine's Kherson region, Gov. Oleksandr Prokudin wrote on Telegram.
Moscow did not comment on either attack.
Eleven more villages under evacuation orders in Sumy as fears grow of Russian offensive
Saturday 31 May 2025 16:07
,
Alex Croft
Ukraine has issued evacuation orders for 11 more villages in the northeastern Sumy region amid fears that Russia may launch a new offensive.
"(Russia) continues its terror of the borderlands, and our shared task is to save every life," regional governor Oleh Hryhorov said in a statement. "I urge residents not to delay the decision to evacuate. Staying in a zone of constant danger is a direct threat to your life and health."
It brings the total number of mandatory evacuation orders in the region to 213.
The move comes amid fears of a potential new Russian offensive being opened in the northeast. A State Border Guard Service spokesperson said on Thursday that Russia had amassed “sufficient forces” in the neighbouring Kursk region to launch an incursion, the Kyiv Independent reported.
Volodymyr Zelensky had earlier said Moscow is concentrating 50,000 troops near Sumy region in preparation for a new offensive.
Analysis | Russia won’t agree a ceasefire in Ukraine while Europe continues to fund Putin’s war
Saturday 31 May 2025 16:01
,
Jabed Ahmed
Our world affairs editor Sam Kiley reports:
Watch | Kyiv piglet cafe provides rare moment of calm for residents under Russia’s bombardment
Saturday 31 May 2025 15:00
,
Jabed Ahmed
Saturday 31 May 2025 14:14
,
Jabed Ahmed
What you need to know about Taurus cruise missiles: Ukraine’s new weapon threatening Putin
Saturday 31 May 2025 13:28
,
Jabed Ahmed
- German Chancellor Friedrich Merz indicated that Germany might send Taurus long-range missiles to Ukraine, potentially enabling Kyiv to strike deeper into Russian territory.
- This potential move marks a shift from former Chancellor Olaf Scholz's stance, who was against sending such weaponry due to concerns about direct involvement in the war.
- The Taurus missiles, with a range of up to 310 miles and stealth technology, could significantly enhance Ukraine's ability to target Russian forces and assets, including in the Black Sea region.
- Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has already criticised the potential delivery as a "very dangerous trend", while German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock defended Ukraine's right to defend itself.
- The discussion around sending Taurus missiles follows a leak of a German military conversation about their potential use in Ukraine, which has raised security concerns and drawn threats from Moscow.
US and allies accuse North Korea of ramping up military aid to Russia in UN sanctions breach
Saturday 31 May 2025 12:46
,
Jabed Ahmed
Macron says West is losing credibility with ‘double standards’ on Ukraine and Gaza
Saturday 31 May 2025 12:01
,
Jabed Ahmed
‘Looks like Munich 1938’: Eastern bloc hits out at US sympathy for Putin’s anti-Nato demands
Saturday 31 May 2025 11:24
,
Jabed Ahmed
The Trump administration’s sympathy for Moscow’s anti-Nato demands has been likened to Nazi appeasement as parts of the alliance’s eastern bloc warn that the US is priming non-members for invasion.
Top officials from four Eastern European countries have hit out after Donald Trump’s special envoy to Ukraine, Keith Kellogg, appeared to support Vladimir Putin’s reported demand to have in writing that Nato will not accept any new members from the region.
In an interview with US network ABC News, Mr Kellogg described Putin’s latest position as a “fair” one that was likely to include not just Ukraine but also Georgia and Moldova.
His comments prompted the Kremlin on Friday to say they were “glad” that Putin’s opposition to Nato was finally “being met with understanding” from Washington.
Read the full exclusive report from my colleague Tom Watling:
Russia has captured two villages in Ukraine, RIA reports
Saturday 31 May 2025 11:17
,
Jabed Ahmed
Russian forces captured two villages in eastern Ukraine - Novopil in Donetsk region and Vodolagy in Sumy region, Russian state news agency RIA Novosti reported citing the Defence Ministry.
The Independent could not confirm the battlefield report.
Trump and Putin hint at US-Russia trade revival, but business environment remains hostile
Saturday 31 May 2025 10:44
,
Jabed Ahmed
Hundreds of foreign companies left Russia after it invaded Ukraine, including major firms like Coca-Cola, Nike, Starbucks and Ford.
But after more than three years of war, US president Donald Trump has held out the prospect of restoring US-Russia trade if there’s ever a peace settlement.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has said foreign companies could return under certain circumstances.
“Russia wants to do large scale TRADE with the United States when this catastrophic ‘bloodbath’ is over, and I agree,” Trump said in a statement after a phone call with Putin.
“There is a tremendous opportunity for Russia to create massive amounts of jobs and wealth. Its potential is UNLIMITED.”
The president then shifted his tone toward Putin after heavy drone and missile attacks on Kyiv, saying Putin “has gone absolutely crazy” and threatening new sanctions.
That and recent comments from Putin warning Western companies against reclaiming their former stakes seemed to reflect reality more accurately — that it’s not going to be a smooth process for businesses going back into Russia.
That’s because Russia’s business environment has massively changed since 2022. And not in ways that favour foreign companies.
And with Putin escalating attacks and holding on to territory demands Ukraine likely isn’t going to accept, a peace deal seems distant indeed.
US and allies accuse North Korea of ramping up military aid to Russia in UN sanctions breach
Saturday 31 May 2025 10:00
,
Tara Cobham
The US and 10 allies on Thursday said the military cooperation between Russia and North Korea flagrantly violated UN sanctions and enabled Moscow to increase its missile strikes on Ukrainian cities.
They made the allegations in their first report since joining hands to monitor sanctions against North Korea after Russia vetoed a resolution in March 2024 to continue the monitoring by a UN Security Council panel of experts.
The panel had been issuing reports of Pyongyang’s sanctions violations since 2010.
Read the full story here:
Watch: Trump calls Russia-Ukraine conflict 'Biden's War'
Saturday 31 May 2025 09:15
,
Tara Cobham
Western officials admit Europe must 'get real' about Trump abandoning Ukraine
Saturday 31 May 2025 08:30
,
Tara Cobham
Western officials have admitted that Europe must “get real” about the prospect of Donald Trump abandoning Ukraine.
As they discussed plans for a peacekeeping force in Ukraine, British and French officials acknowledged concerns the US president will step back from his role as mediator in ceasefire talks.
Amid a bleak mood at a meeting in the Hague, a Western official told The Telegraph: “Let’s get real and admit the US will never be on board.”
A European diplomat said: “It was mostly about how to sustain the necessary support to Ukraine when we assume that the US would only continue providing some specific assets, such as intelligence.
“We also agreed on the need to step up economic pressure on Russia.”
ANALYSIS: Russia won’t agree a ceasefire in Ukraine while Europe continues to fund Putin’s war
Saturday 31 May 2025 07:45
,
Tara Cobham
The White House is wagging its finger, the Brits and other Europeans will be alongside Ukraine and Turkey has high hopes.
And when they all come together in Istanbul on Monday for ceasefire talks with Russia the Kremlin’s reaction will be “ish-to” – so what?
Vladimir Putin is facing no significant consequences from either Donald Trump or Europe for his continued war in Ukraine.
The Independent’s world affairs editor Sam Kiley writes:
Watch: Piglet therapy cafe opens in Kyiv for Ukrainians impacted by war
Saturday 31 May 2025 07:18
,
Tara Cobham
Russia says ceasefire not enough to end war
Saturday 31 May 2025 06:04
,
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
Russia has told the UN Security Council that a ceasefire alone is not enough to end Vladimir Putin's war on Ukraine.
"To achieve a sustainable and lasting settlement of t
