What is known about the explosion on the bridge connecting mainland Russia with the Crimean peninsula, annexed by Moscow in 2014, is under the gun of the Ukrainian army, which considers it a symbol of Russian oppression.
What happened?
This Saturday at 6:00 am (two hours more than in Portugal), a truck bomb exploded on the roadway of the bridge across the Kerch Strait from the side of the Taman Peninsula and set fire to seven fuel tanks plying along the rails. board. The report of the National Anti-Terrorism Committee, cited by the RIA-Novosti agency, says that the fire was extinguished and led to the “partial collapse” of two road sections of the bridge. No one was injured in the explosion and the fire is believed to have been extinguished.
The circulation on the bridge remains interrupted, but navigation in the strait is not completely disrupted. But material damage is visible in the published pictures.
Crimean Governor Sergei Aksyonov has already said that restoration work will begin as soon as the investigation into the causes of the explosion is completed.
Who caused the explosion?
So far, no one has claimed responsibility for the explosion. On the Russian side, Crimean parliament leader Vladimir Konstantinov points the finger at “Ukrainian vandals”, a Russian MNE spokesman speaks of “terrorist acts” instigated by Ukraine, and other Russian officials are more cautious in their statements. However, the Ukrainian army has repeatedly considered the bridge, built by Moscow in 2018, as a military facility.
For Mykhailo Podolyak, one of the advisers to the Ukrainian president, the explosion is “the beginning.” On Saturday, Podoliak tweeted that “everything illegal must be destroyed, everything stolen must be returned to Ukraine, everything occupied by Russia must be expelled,” he added. with images of a burning bridge, the soundtrack to which was the Marilyn Monroe song “Congratulations, Mr. President”, hinting at yesterday’s 70th birthday of Vladimir Putin.
How important is the bridge?
The project of the Kerch Bridge, about 19 km long and higher than the Statue of Liberty for the occupied peninsula, became the pearl of Vladimir Putin’s infrastructure projects, described in the media of the regime as “a structure from the __ century.” Opening it in May 2018, the President of Russia emphasized its importance: “In different historical eras, even under the tsars, people dreamed of building this bridge. they went back to it [ideia] in the 1930s, 40s, 50s, and finally, thanks to your work and talent, a miracle happened, ”says The Guardian.
The construction of the bridge, which in practice consists of two parallel bridges, one railway and one road, took three years, and since its completion, according to Russian statistics, about 15 million cars will pass through it. According to RIA Novosti, the longest bridge in Europe allows the passage of 40,000 vehicles per day, 14 million passengers and 13 million tons of cargo annually.
How important is this connection with Crimea?
First, it was a symbolic element, proof of the strength of Putin and Moscow. Not only for its design (see above), but also for its alleged immunity. Just three months ago, the Russian authorities guaranteed its impregnability, because of the 20 different defense modes that covered it, including military dolphins.
This morning’s attack reinforces the idea of Russia’s military failure precisely in the region it managed to annex (without any international recognition other than its biggest allies) in 2014.
From a military point of view, it also seems to be central: the only link between the Russian mainland and the Crimean peninsula is considered vital for Russian logistics operations in the current conflict, as it is a road-rail bridge that allows not only the movement of goods, but also troops and military equipment .
According to The Guardian, the bridge has been an important supply line not only for Russian troops in occupied Crimea, but also elsewhere in southern Ukraine where Russian troops are retreating even as a “main line”. railway line to Melitopol.
Military expert Michael Clarke told Sky News that the bridge is “the only link between Russia and Crimea that does not pass through Ukraine.” And that now the Russians are faced with the need to deliver supplies “by sea to Mariupol, and then they will have to use the only serviceable railway line, which is now located not far from the Ukrainian artillery.” “This will give Ukraine two to three weeks of head start until this is corrected,” added an expert at the same station.
And now? How will Moscow respond?
There is still no clue in various public statements emanating from the Kremlin or Crimea, but the Russian leader has warned several times that he will defend all annexed territories “by all means.” fearing that Putin would admit to using tactical nuclear weapons to prove his strength and renew his offensive in Ukraine. Under internal pressure in the face of the failures of recent weeks, the Russian Telegram channel already has some openly defending it:
