Crimea has pointed to Ukraine as responsible for the fire that occurred this morning in the strategic Kerch bridge, linking the annexed peninsula and Russia. The Kremlin has opened a criminal case this Saturday to clarify the circumstances of what they have described as a “crime”.
The incident occurred in the early hours of this Saturday. A truck explosion has caused a fire and serious damage to infrastructure, which has been partially damaged. In addition, the explosion has caused another seven fuel tanks of a train that was heading towards the Ukrainian peninsula annexed by the Russians to blow up.
The Russian agency TASS also indicates that “there was a partial collapse of two sections of the automobile part of the bridge.” The Governor of Crimea, Oleg Kryuchkov, has communicated that the incident has not caused no dead or injured. Although Ukraine has celebrated the collapse of the bridgeat the moment does not claim the attack.
Fire on a bridge linking Russia with Crimea.
Reuters
Rail and car traffic have been suspended on the bridge and work has begun to launch a ferry service across the Kerch Strait, according to Acting Transport Minister Nikolai Lukahsneko, according to the Russian agency TASS.
Navigation in the strait has not been interrupted at the moment, as confirmed by the Federal Agency for Shipping and Inland Waterways (Rosmorrechflot).
Closer look at the collapsed road span of the Crimean bridge pic.twitter.com/ZW1OOAKdns
— OSINTtechnical (@Osinttechnical) October 8, 2022
#BREAKING Deputy Speaker of the Russia’s Duma says the attack on #Crimea bridge is a “declaration of war” against Russia pic.twitter.com/yMxYwp0AtH
— Guy Elster (@guyelster) October 8, 2022
Ukraine celebrates it, but does not claim it
The Kerch Bridge is one of the key pieces of the Kremlin government, and for this reason “it has to be destroyed”. This is how forceful a Zelensky presidential adviser has been on Twitter when he heard the news of the fire.
“Everything illegal must be destroyed, everything stolen must be returned to Ukraineeverything occupied by Russia must be expelled,” wrote Mykhailo Podolyak. Despite his message, Podolyak has not made it clear, nor has he wanted to claim, that the explosion was caused by a Ukrainian attack.
The Kerch Bridge, which links Russia with Crimea, after the fire.
Reuters
The ukrainian air force They have also wanted to celebrate the partial destruction of the bridge on Telegram. “This morning on the Crimean bridge. The fuel tanks are on fire. Part of the roadway was also destroyed! It will all be Ukraine!” they said in the message.
a red line
For the Kremlin, an attack on the Crimean bridge would be a red line that would not allow it to go unanswered. The Russian president inaugurated in 2018 the car section over the Crimean bridge over the kerch straitthe longest in Europe with its 19 kilometres, in order to break the isolation of the peninsula.
At the end of 2019, the railway section over the bridge was also inaugurated, condemned by both Ukraine and the Westwhich continue to consider the peninsula part of the Ukrainian territory.
[Zaporiyia-Melitopol, la maniobra que puede acabar con las esperanzas de Rusia en el frente sur]
Ukrainian advance
Although it seems that in the last twenty-four hours, the Ukrainian forces have moderated their advances in the east and south to regroup units and prepare for a new counteroffensive, the situation remains desperate for the invading army.
The President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyassured this Friday that in the last offensive they have already liberated 2,434 square kilometers of territory invaded by Russia since February, as well as 96 localities.
Ukrainian soldiers disassemble a captured Russian armored vehicle near the city of Izium in the Kharkov region.
Reuters
“There are also good results in the south of Ukraine this week: we are liberating our land and our people from the pseudo-referendum every day,” he added.
The Ukrainian army does not expect the reservists mobilized at the end of September by the Russian president, Vladimir Putincome to the battlefield”in two or three months“. This was stated by the Minister of Defense of Ukraine, Oleksii Reznikovon one of the Government channels on Telegram.
