Russian authorities reported that bridge explosions in two separate incidents killed at least seven people and injured 69 on Sunday, ahead of planned peace talks intended to resolve the three-year conflict in Ukraine.

According to Russian investigators, a highway bridge in the Bryansk region was destroyed at 10:50 pm (1950 GMT) on Saturday night, just as a passenger train carrying 388 people to Moscow was passing underneath.

Investigators stated that approximately four hours later, a railway bridge in the neighboring Kursk region was blown up over a highway, scattering debris from a freight train onto the road.

The Investigative Committee of Russia, responsible for investigating serious crimes, connected the two incidents, stating that both bridges were deliberately blown up.

Social media images and videos from the Bryansk region depicted passengers attempting to escape damaged train carriages in the darkness. A section of the passenger train was shown crushed beneath the collapsed road bridge, with wrecked carriages scattered along the tracks.

Alexander Bogomaz, the governor of the Bryansk region, informed Russian television that “The bridge was blown up while the Klimovo-Moscow train with 388 passengers was passing over it.”

The Investigative Committee of Russia, responsible for investigating serious crimes, connected the two incidents, stating that both bridges were deliberately blown up.

There has been no immediate response from Ukraine regarding the incidents, which occurred one day before the United States hopes to convene direct talks between Russia and Ukraine in Istanbul to discuss a potential resolution to the war, which Washington estimates has resulted in at least 1.2 million casualties.

Ukraine’s HUR military intelligence agency announced on Sunday that an explosion had derailed a Russian military train carrying cargo and fuel trucks near Yakymivka, a settlement in the Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhia region of Ukraine.

The agency did not claim responsibility for the explosion or attribute it to any specific party, although Ukraine has previously claimed responsibility for a number of attacks deep within Russia.

Russian politicians have blamed Ukraine, claiming the incidents were acts of sabotage aimed at disrupting the peace talks promoted by the United States.

Andrei Kartapolov, chairman of the defense committee of the lower house of the Russian parliament, told the SHOT Telegram channel, “This is definitely the work of the Ukrainian special services.”

“All of this is designed to harden the Russian Federation’s position and fuel aggression before negotiations, as well as to intimidate people. But they will not succeed.”

The Kremlin reported that President Vladimir Putin was briefed on the bridge explosions by the Federal Security Service (FSB) and the Emergency Ministry throughout the night. Putin also spoke with Alexander Bogomaz, the governor of Bryansk.

U.S. President Donald Trump has urged both sides to make peace, threatening to withdraw support if they fail to do so, potentially shifting the responsibility for supporting Ukraine to European powers.

Despite discussions of peace negotiations, the conflict is intensifying, with both Russia and Ukraine launching numerous drones and Russian forces advancing at crucial points along the front lines in eastern Ukraine.

Ukraine has not committed to attending the talks, stating that it first needs to see Russia’s proposals, while a leading U.S. senator warned Moscow of severe consequences from new U.S. sanctions.

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