According to British experts, the explosion of the bridge between Russia and the Black Sea peninsula of Crimea has significantly reduced the capacity of the road connection. Two of the four-lane highway collapsed over a length of 250 meters. Two other routes could be used again, according to the British Ministry of Defense’s daily intelligence update on the war in Ukraine on Sunday.
It was unclear how badly the nearby rail link was damaged, “but any major disruption to its capacity would have a significant impact on Russia’s already strained ability to resupply its forces in southern Ukraine,” the report said.
According to British experts, the incident may have affected Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin personally. “It came hours after his 70th birthday, when he personally sponsored and opened the bridge and the responsible contractor was his childhood friend Arkady Rotenberg,” the statement continued.
According to Russian sources, a truck bomb exploded on a bridge over the Kerch Strait between Russia and Crimea at 6:07 a.m. local time on Saturday, sparking a massive fire.
The vehicle came from mainland Russia and was heading towards the Crimean coastal city of Kerch. Seven tank wagons filled with fuel on the freight train caught fire in the explosion. As a result, some parts of the road collapsed. At least three people were killed. The company did not explain how a truck caused such extensive damage.
The strategically important bridge was partially damaged. Two sections of the road bridge partially collapsed. The arch of the bridge crossing the Kerch Strait was not damaged. A short time later, the Russian Ministry of Civil Defense announced that the fire had been extinguished.
According to officials, traffic slowed down again on Saturday evening. The bridge is now “open for cars and buses,” Crimean peninsula administration head Sergei Aksyonov told the online service Telegram.
Russian divers examined the damage on Sunday. Deputy Prime Minister Marat Kuznulin said the divers would begin work at 6 a.m., according to Russian news agencies. A detailed survey above the waterline is expected to be completed by the end of the day.
LONDON: The capacity of the Crimea Road Bridge has been significantly reduced
After the explosion, Putin instructed the FSB secret service by decree to tighten control over the Crimean bridge. This shot is intended to show the burst time:
“The FSB will be empowered to organize and coordinate security measures for the transportation route across the Kerch Strait, the power bridge of the Russian Federation to the Crimean Peninsula, and the gas pipeline from Krasnodar Krai to Crimea,” the decree said.
So far, according to Duma deputy Alexander Sinstein, responsibility for the safety of the bridge is divided into three parts. The Ministry of Defense was responsible for monitoring the airspace and the National Guard “Roskvartija” for maritime surveillance. However, automobiles and railways were regulated by the Ministry of Transport.
The bridge was considered a “red line” for Russia
According to official reports, despite the Crimean bridge incident, Putin will not address the public in the next few days.
The bridge is of great strategic importance to Putin’s forces in the war in Ukraine. Russia has repeatedly insisted that the attack on the bridge was a clear crossing of a red line. The power apparatus in Moscow threatened to attack command centers in Kiev if an attack occurred.
Mykhailo Podoliak, an adviser to the Ukrainian president, tweeted that it was “just the beginning.” He claimed that Ukraine had no direct responsibility for the incident, but wrote:
Everything illegal must be destroyed, everything stolen must be returned to Ukraine, everything occupied by Russia must be expelled.
Mykhailo Podoliak, adviser to the Ukrainian president
It is not yet known who caused the explosion. According to Russian officials, a car bomb exploded, causing a massive fire.
Former Major General Mick Ryan shared an initial assessment of the fire on Twitter. He “slapped Putin in the face on his birthday.”
According to Ryan, such a fire would require more explosive power than a few soldiers could carry. Need trucks or rockets or bombs. It could be part of Ukraine’s plan to retake Crimea — or a diversionary tactic, writes a military expert.
Russia can now bolster its forces in southern Ukraine at the expense of other positions. The world is now seeing that whoever is behind the fire, Russia is unable to defend its annexed territories.
The answer should be harsh, but doesn’t have to be.
Russian foreign policy official Leonid Slutsky
Russia also sees responsibility in Ukraine. Vladimir Konstantinov, head of the regional parliament set up by Russia in Crimea, called the incident a blow by “Ukrainian vandals”.
Even the prominent Russian foreign politician, Leonid Slutsky, spoke of a “terrorist attack”. Slutsky said on Saturday in the Crimean capital Simferopol that “the consequences will be inevitable” if Ukrainian traces in the attack are confirmed. “The response should be drastic, but not necessarily,” he said.
Also, Ukrainian media reported that the SBU secret service in Kyiv was behind this special operation. “This could be an act of state terrorism, for which, as we see, there is applause in European capitals,” Slutsky said.
The 54-year-old, head of the Foreign Affairs Committee in the State Duma, said Russia has experience in fighting terrorists. “Terrorist attacks” like the attack on the bridge must be prevented in the future. At the same time he announced that the bridge would be repaired.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has opened up about the involvement of his subordinates in the explosion on Saturday evening. It was mostly sunny and warm in Ukraine, “unfortunately it was cloudy in Crimea, although it’s still warm there,” he said in his daily video address. He did not elaborate on the incident. However, he again called on the Russians to surrender and flee. According to Zielensky, this is his best way to stay alive. Ukraine will have a future without occupiers. “All over our territory, especially in Crimea,” he said.
According to Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podoliak, this route leads to Russia: “It is worth noting that the exploded truck, by all indications, was driven over the bridge from the Russian side,” he said. “So the answers must be sought in Russia,” Podoliak added.
Malice and mockery from Ukraine
Tony Spammer, a former British Army bridge demolition expert, suspects that a truck bomb was the only cause of the blast. This is not enough to destroy the structure. “You have to hit the entire width of the bridge. It looks like you hit it from below,” he said. He told the Wall Street Journal. For example, a boat may be loaded with explosives.
Within Ukraine, the incident has received a number of malicious and derisive reactions.
Mornings have never been so beautiful.
Head of the Ukrainian Post Office Ihor Smilyanskyi
The head of the Ukrainian Post Office, Ihor Smilzhansky, announced on the Telegram news channel that a special stamp from the bridge would be printed. “Mornings have never looked so beautiful. For this holiday we’re introducing a new brand with the Crimean Bridge – or whatever.
Earlier, Ukrainian Post published a seal of the Russian Black Sea Fleet’s wrecked Russian ship Moskva.
A spokeswoman for jailed Kremlin dissident Alexei Navalny shared a video of the fire and damage on social media – and suggested it could be Putin’s 70th birthday present. The Kremlin leader celebrated the anniversary on Friday in his hometown of St. Petersburg.
Oleksiy Danilov, the secretary of Ukraine’s Security Council, posted on Facebook on Saturday footage of the destroyed structure linking Russia and the Black Sea peninsula of Crimea, annexed by Moscow in 2014.
He also released a video showing Hollywood legend Marilyn Monroe (1926-1962) singing “Happy Birthday Mr. President” to then-US President John F. Kennedy in 1962.
This video collection has been shared a lot on social media. Many commented that someone like Putin needed a special anniversary gift.
“Ukrainska Pravda” online newspaper reported citing security sources in Kyiv that the Ukrainian secret service SBU was behind the special operation. The SBU did not confirm this, but like many official bodies in Ukraine, it posted photos of the burning bridge on social networks – and wrote a poem about it.
Since the Russian offensive on Ukraine began in late February, several explosions have occurred in Crimea, causing heavy damage, including to military bases. There have been frequent threats from Kiev to open fire on the bridge. The recapture of Crimea has been repeatedly presented as a war goal by the Ukrainian government.
The road and rail bridge, built on Putin’s orders, spans the Kerch Strait and has connected the Crimean peninsula, annexed by Russia, to Russian territory since 2018. Currently, it is mainly used to transport military equipment for the Russian Armed Forces in Ukraine. If this main supply route to Crimea is cut off, the Russian army in the south will face supply difficulties.
Any serious disruption to traffic over the bridge would have a profound impact on Russia’s military capability in southern Ukraine. “The New York Times”.
At 19 kilometers long, the Crimean bridge system, with a motorway and a railway next to it, is the longest in Europe. Kremlin boss Putin opened it in 2018 and rode the train. Passenger trains will be running from late 2019 and freight trains from summer 2020.
According to historian and Russia expert Sergey Ratchenko, the partial destruction of the bridge is blocking the escape route for the residents of Crimea. Above all, however, the bridge is a prestigious project that will cost Putin his presidency.
The President was now further cornered. The US must now maintain contact with Kiev and Moscow to prevent the conflict from escalating to a nuclear level. (With dpa/AFP/Reuters)
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