Moscow [Russia], October 8 (ANI): A key bridge that connects the Crimean Peninsula with mainland Russia was gutted in a fire sparked by a car bomb, authorities in Moscow said on Saturday. Russia’s RIA state news agency said that a fuel tank was on fire on the Kerch Bridge, while Ukraine media reported an explosion.
Visuals from the bridge showed some carriages of a train on the Kerch bridge in Crimea being engulfed in a fire. Traffic has been suspended on the road-and-rail bridge. “An object believed to be a fuel storage tank has caught fire on the Crimean Bridge, but the viaduct’s navigable arches sustained no damage, an aide to the head of Crimea, Oleg Kryuchkov, said as cited by the Russian news agency TASS.
Meanwhile, the National Anti-Terrorism Committee of Russia said on Saturday that the bridge connecting Crimean Peninsula with mainland Russia was damaged in a blast, which occurred shortly after 6 am local time, caused a partial collapse of the road on the vehicle section. It also triggered a blaze on a freight train on the parallel rail section, with seven fuel tanks catching fire, according to RT.
A ferry service across the Kerch Strait will be launched later today, Crimea’s Head Sergey Aksyonov said TASS reported.
The bridge was opened in 2018 by President Vladimir Putin, four years after Moscow annexed Crimea and was designed to link the peninsula to Russia’s transport network. The 19-kilometre (11.8 miles) bridge, which runs across the Kerch Strait and connects Crimea with mainland Russia, consists of a railway and vehicle sections. It became fully operational in 2020.
As per some media reports, the Crimean bridge is a key target for Ukrainian forces who have been attacking Russian logistics. Notably, Russia recently annexed four regions of Ukraine – Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions. The war between Russia and Ukraine appears to be entering a new phase after Kyiv dealt a big blow to Moscow’s grip after it recaptured 2,400 square kilometres of territory in the Kherson region in the south of the country “since the beginning of the full-scale war,” a senior Ukrainian official said Friday, reported CNN.
Kyrylo Tymoshenko, deputy head of the president’s office said six settlements had been liberated in the Kherson district as well as 61 in the Beryslav district. Tymoshenko said the evacuation of civilians continued amid massive destruction to critical infrastructure in towns like Arkhanhelske, Vysokopillia and Osokorivka, all of which saw weeks of heavy fighting and indirect fire. Demining is in progress, he added.
Ukrainian forces have been making steady progress in Kherson since beginning an offensive at the end of last month, and their successes have sparked rare criticism of Moscow’s war effort among pro-Russian figures. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy praised his forces’ counteroffensive in his evening address on Tuesday. “The Ukrainian army is making a rather fast and powerful advance in the south of our country in the course of the ongoing defensive operation,” Zelenskyy said in his evening address. “Our warriors do not stop. And it is only a matter of time before we will expel the occupier from all our land.” (ANI)
‘Terrorist act’: Putin blames Ukraine for Crimea bridge explosion
Moscow [Russia], October 10 (ANI): Russian President Vladimir Putin on Sunday termed the explosion on the Crimean bridge as a “terrorist attack” which was aimed at destroying the country’s critical civilian infrastructure. Putin blamed Ukrainian special services for the attack on the key bridge that connects Crimea with mainland Russia, TASS news agency reported. “This is just as you’ve said, there is no doubt [about it]. This is a terrorist act aimed at destroying the critical civilian infrastructure of the Russian Federation. It was ordered, authored and carried out by the special services of Ukraine,” Putin said at a meeting with the head of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation Alexander Bastrykin.
The head of the Investigative Committee said that citizens of Russia and foreign countries helped the Ukrainian special services in preparation for the attack. On Saturday, a truck exploded on the road bridge, causing seven fuel tanks of a train heading to the Crimean Peninsula to catch fire. Three people were killed in the blast, which also led to the partial collapse of two spans of the road bridge, according to media reports.
Shortly after, the Kremlin said Putin signed a decree on enhancing security measures for the Crimea bridge. In the decree, Putin also called for securing the energy bridge and the gas pipeline connecting the peninsula with mainland Russia. “The Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation shall be vested with the authority to organize and coordinate protection measures for the Kerch Strait transport crossing, the power grid’s energy bridge between the Russian Federation and the Crimean Peninsula, along with the main gas pipeline between the Krasnodar Region and Crimea, during their operation,” TASS quoted the document.
This is done to enhance the efficiency of protection measures for the transport crossing, the energy bridge and the gas pipeline across the Kerch Strait, the report added. After a massive explosion on a key strategic bridge linking Crimea and Russia, media reports said that Putin plans to hold an operational meeting of his Security Council on Monday.
The bridge was opened in 2018 by Putin, four years after Moscow annexed Crimea and was designed to link the peninsula to Russia’s transport network. The 19-kilometre bridge, which runs across the Kerch Strait and connects Crimea with mainland Russia, consists of a railway and vehicle sections. It became fully operational in 2020. (ANI)
Putin signs decree to tighten security for Crimea bridge after explosion
Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree on enhancing security measures for the Crimea bridge, the Kremlin said on Saturday, following the explosion at the bridge that killed at least three people. In a statement, Russian President Vladimir Putin also called for securing the energy bridge and the gas pipeline connecting the peninsula with mainland Russia.
“The Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation shall be vested with the authority to organize and coordinate protection measures for the Kerch Strait transport crossing, the power grid’s energy bridge between the Russian Federation and the Crimean Peninsula, along with the main gas pipeline between the Krasnodar Region and Crimea, during their operation,” TASS quoted the document.
This is done to enhance the efficiency of protection measures for the transport crossing, the energy bridge and the gas pipeline across the Kerch Strait, the report added. A truck exploded on the road bridge, causing seven fuel tanks of a train heading to the Crimean Peninsula to catch fire. Three people were killed in the blast, which also led to the partial collapse of two spans of the road bridge, according to media reports.
Traffic reopened to cars and buses with a full inspection procedure needed on the road route of the Crimean Bridge, after an explosion on the viaduct on Saturday. Crimea’s head Sergei Aksyonov said that trucks are still required to cross the Kerch Strait by ferry. An initial assessment of the railway part of the Crimean Bridge has been carried out, and restoration work is underway, the Russian Ministry of Transport said.
The bridge was opened in 2018 by President Vladimir Putin, four years after Moscow annexed Crimea and was designed to link the peninsula to Russia’s transport network.
