Featured Image Credit: East2West/Ukraine Security Service Handout/EPA
Topics: Russia, Ukraine, Vladimir Putin, Volodymyr Zelensky, World News
Callum Jones
Topics: Russia, Ukraine, Vladimir Putin, Volodymyr Zelensky, World News
The only bridge between Russia and Crimea has partially collapsed after a fire and explosion was reported.
Russian officials say the incident was caused by a lorry explosion, which has damaged a key supply artery for Moscow’s faltering war effort in southern Ukraine.
A blast on the road led to oil tankers on the rail section also catching fire, before a number of sections on the road eventually collapsed.
You can watch CCTV footage of the explosion below, but be warned – it contains graphic imagery some views may find upsetting:
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Crimea, was annexed by Russia in 2014 in the aftermath of the Ukrainian Revolution, though the legality of the annexation has long been disputed.
While Ukraine has not taken direct responsibility for the blast, an adviser to President Zelenskyy, Mykhailo Podolyak, said it was just 'the beginning'.
On Twitter, he wrote: "Crimea, the bridge, the beginning. Everything illegal must be destroyed, everything stolen must be returned to Ukraine, everything occupied by Russia must be expelled."
Ukraine's defence ministry has also taken to Twitter, comparing the explosion to the sinking of Russia's Moska missile cruiser in April.
It read: "Two notorious symbols of Russian power in Ukrainian Crimea have gone down. What's next in line?"
The bridge was opened by President Putin in 2018, and is of significant importance to the Kremlin. Russia has used the bridge to move military equipment, ammunition, and Russian personnel to battlefields in southern Ukraine.
Russia's Energy Ministry said Crimea has enough fuel for 15 days, adding that it was working on ways to replenish stock. However, authorities have suspended passenger traffic across the bridge until further notice.
In response to the explosion, Russia's National Anti-Terrorism Committee (NAC) said: "At 06:07 Moscow time today [03:07 GMT], an explosion was set off at a cargo vehicle on the motorway part of the Crimean bridge on the side of the Taman peninsula, which set fire to seven fuel tanks of a train that was en route to the Crimean peninsula.
"Two motorway sections of the bridge partially collapsed."
Vladimir Konstantinov, Crimean parliamentary speaker said the explosion was due to 'Ukrainian vandals, who have finally managed to reach their bloody hands to the Crimean bridge', BBC News reports.
On Telegram, he continued: “Now they have something to be proud of: over 23 years of their management, they didn’t manage to build anything worthy of attention in Crimea, but they’ve managed to damage the surface of the Russian bridge."
President Putin has been briefed about the explosion and has ordered a government enquiry.
Military experts say Kyiv has momentum in the conflict with Russia, with its army reclaiming many territories in recent weeks.
That has led to Moscow taking drastic action recently, with President Putin announcing a partial mobilisation of his troops.
This led to ant-war protests in the country, with more than 200,000 drafted in already according to Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu.
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