After an explosion and fire on the bridge between Russia and the Black Sea peninsula, annexed by Moscow, three people are said to have died. The bridge has partially collapsed and is closed to traffic. The truck driver has now been identified.
According to Russian sources, at least three people died in the explosion on the bridge between Russia and the Black Sea peninsula of Crimea, annexed by Moscow. The national investigative committee said on Saturday the bodies had been pulled from the water. It’s preliminary information, he said. People are said to have been sitting in vehicles when a truck coming from the mainland exploded on the Crimean bridge road in the morning. According to the Russian Ministry of Transport, car traffic on Crimea’s damaged bridge will soon be possible again – but only to a limited extent.
The explosion ignited seven tank cars filled with fuel from a freight train. As a result, parts of the road collapsed, he said. The agency did not explain how a single truck could have caused such damage. It was also unclear why the truck could have passed Russian controls.
According to Russian sources, the owner of the truck has been identified. He was a resident of Russia’s southern Krasnodar region, Russian investigators said on Saturday, without naming the man. Thus, investigations were initiated at his residence, the documented route of the truck will be verified. According to Russia, Russian soldiers in the Mykolaiv, Kryvyj Rih and Zaporizhia regions of southern Ukraine receive the most important things by land and sea.
“Crimea. The Bridge. The Beginning”
In Ukraine, the photos were taken with jubilation. “Crimea. The bridge. The beginning,” wrote the adviser to the Ukrainian presidential office, Mykhailo Podoliak, on Twitter on Saturday. “Everything illegal must be destroyed, everything stolen must be returned to Ukraine.” However, Podoliak did not explicitly say that Ukraine was responsible for the explosions and fires on the bridge.
After the massive explosion on the Russian bridge in Crimea, just a day after the 70th birthday of Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin, the ridiculous is high in Ukraine. Security Council Secretary of Ukraine Oleksiy Danilov posted images of the partially destroyed structure linking Russia to the Crimean peninsula on the Black Sea, annexed by Moscow in 2014, on Facebook on Saturday.
He also posted a video showing Hollywood legend Marilyn Monroe (1926-1962) singing the birthday song “Happy Birthday, Mr. President” to then US President John F. Kennedy in 1962.
The video compilation was widely shared on social media. Many commented that someone like Putin needs something special as a birthday present. The bridge has always been a project close to the heart of the Kremlin chief.
Danilov has already been verbally engaged with former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev after he threatened in July that Ukraine would face “doomsday” if it tried to retake Crimea. Danilov then reiterated that his country would definitely take back the peninsula.
After the start of the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine in late February, there were several explosions in Crimea, causing serious damage, including to military bases. Ukraine has repeatedly announced that it will retake Crimea. The military leadership in Kyiv also announced that the bridge systems would be bombed as soon as Western-supplied weapons became available. More recently, in the Kerch region, which directly borders the bridge in Crimea, there have been repeated incidents of drones exploding.
Russia has repeatedly emphasized that an attack on the bridge is a clear crossing of the red line. The power apparatus in Moscow has threatened to attack command centers in Kyiv in the event of an attack.
Graphics: APAThe Kerch Bridge as Putin’s Prestigious Project
Russia annexed Crimea in 2014. The bridge opened in 2018 and is considered a prestigious project by Russian President Vladimir Putin. Kremlin chief Putin opened it himself in 2018 and also rode the train. At 19 kilometers in length, Crimea’s bridge system, which also includes a motorway, is the longest structure in Europe. Passenger trains have been running since late 2019, freight trains since summer 2020. They are used to deliver much of the supplies to Russian troops in the Kherson region of southern Ukraine, which they largely occupy. part. Crimea has been repeatedly targeted by Ukrainian counterattacks in recent months. Among other things, an important airfield was hit.
Firefighting work on the bridge system. (c) IMAGO/ITAR-TASSUkrainian secret service keeps a low profile
The Internet newspaper Ukrajinska Pravda, citing security circles in Kyiv, reported that the SBU secret service 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 media – and accompanied it with a poem.
Spokeswoman for imprisoned Kremlin opponent Alexei Navalny shared a video of the fire and damage on social media – and commented that it was likely a gift for Putin’s 70th birthday. The Kremlin chief celebrated the birthday on Friday in his hometown of St. Petersburg.
Ukrainian postmaster Ihor Smylyanskyj announced on the Telegram news channel that a special stamp of the bridge would be printed. “The morning has never been so beautiful. For this holiday we are releasing a new stamp featuring the Crimean Bridge – or rather what remains of it.” A postage stamp from the destroyed Russian Black Sea Fleet cruiser Moskva had already been issued by the Ukraine Post.
(APA/dpa/Portal)