On Monday, Ukraine announced that it had destroyed a crucial bridge utilized by the Russian military in Russia’s Samara region. The targeted structure, spanning the Chapaevka River in Samara, was struck around 5 a.m., prompting the suspension of rail traffic in the area, as reported by local authorities to the state-run news agency Tass.
According to operational services, the incident occurred with a loud explosion on the railway bridge over the Chapaevka River, leading to the immediate halting of train operations. This latest event adds to a series of railway attacks across Russia amidst its comprehensive invasion of Ukraine.
Last June, an explosion rocked a railway line in Crimea’s Feodosia region, while a month earlier, a blast disrupted rail traffic between Simferopol, the capital of annexed Crimea, and Sevastopol.
The Ukrainian Main Intelligence Directorate (GUR) claimed responsibility for the attack in a post on Telegram, stating, “In Russia, a railway bridge was blown up – the movement of trains was paralyzed.”
Central Russia Bridge Targeted in Blast, Confirmed by Kyiv (Credits: CNN)
The GUR further explained that the bridge served as a conduit for transporting military supplies, including ammunition manufactured by the Polimer company in Chapaevsk, Samara Oblast. Due to the extent of the damage inflicted on the railway bridge, it is anticipated to remain non-operational for an extended period. The GUR noted that the bridge was compromised “by detonation of its power structures.”
A Russian Telegram channel, Baza, associated with Russia’s security services, reported that the explosion had damaged the bridge’s metal structure and barrier while the concrete support remained intact.
This incident follows an earlier act of railway sabotage in Ukraine, where four students opposed to the conflict targeted railways in the country. In March 2022, four Russian and foreign students aged between 17 and 18 were apprehended in Ufa, accused of orchestrating a terrorist act.
Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev responded to the incident by advocating for the reinstatement of the death penalty in Russia. In a post on his Telegram channel, he labeled the defendants as “monsters” and invoked the historical precedent of executing “saboteurs” without trial or investigation, particularly during World War II.
