Railway bridge collapse in Russia's Arkhangelsk region: no injuries

On Tuesday at 5:10 a.m., part of a bridge over the Viled River collapsed at the Viled railway station in Russia's Arkhangelsk region, and freight train cars derailed. According to preliminary information, there are no casualties, regional governor Alexander Tsybulsky said.

Regional authorities say there was no oil product spill: the tank cars were empty. The cause of the incident is being established. Representatives of the Northern Railway say traffic on the section has been suspended, recovery trains have been sent to the site, and delays to passenger trains are expected. The company later added that passengers will first be carried by bus, and tents will be set up for those waiting at the station.

Were Ukrainian drones involved?

Russian infrastructure that can be used for military purposes has repeatedly been targeted by Ukrainian air strikes: since the start of 2022, Ukraine has been defending itself against Russia's full-scale aggression. However, nothing in the Russian authorities' statements suggests that Ukrainian drones were involved in the bridge collapse.

On Tuesday, Russia's Defense Ministry said it had intercepted and destroyed 155 Ukrainian drones overnight over the Novgorod, Bryansk, Belgorod, Kursk, Kaluga, Oryol and Smolensk regions, Krasnodar Krai and Crimea. The Arkhangelsk region is not mentioned in that list.

Around Prague, based on reporting by novinky.cz