Three people have been killed in a massive explosion on a Russian bridge leading to Crimea, the peninsula of Ukraine that was annexed in 2014, investigators said.
Russian investigators said the victim was in a nearby car when the truck exploded and part of the bridge’s roadway collapsed.
Russia says the rail section of the bridge (where the oil truck caught fire) will be reopened this afternoon.
The level crossing, which opened in 2018, was a symbol of Russia’s illegal annexation.
Mikhail Podryak, an adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, did not directly claim Ukraine’s responsibility, but wrote: “Crimea, bridge, beginning.”
“Everything illegal must be destroyed, everything stolen must be returned to Ukraine, everything occupied by Russia must be expelled.”
Ukraine’s Defense Ministry has compared the bridge explosion to the sinking of the Russian missile cruiser Moskva in April.
“Two infamous symbols of Russian power in Ukraine and Crimea have sunk,” he tweeted. What is the “next move”?
Meanwhile, the Ukrainian government simply muttered, “Burn the disease.”
Russia’s Foreign Ministry said, “The reaction of the (Kyiv) regime to the destruction of civilian infrastructure speaks to its terrorist character.”
The significance and symbolism of the bridge inaugurated by President Putin being engulfed in flames cannot be overstated.
Russia uses the bridge to move armaments, ammunition and personnel from Russia to battlefields in southern Ukraine.
Ukrainian authorities have therefore vowed to retake the peninsula, citing it as a legitimate goal.
An attack on Crimea, which is heavily populated by Russian troops, is seen as another major humiliation for the Kremlin.
This bridge is especially disliked by Ukrainians. The day after President Vladimir Putin’s 70th birthday, Ukrainian social media celebrated the spectacle of the fire.
Crimean regional authorities said they would organize a ferry service linking mainland Russia with the peninsula.
Leave a Reply