Russia blames Ukraine for explosion at Crimean Bridge
Russian officials said that a truck bomb had caused a fire and the collapse of a section of a bridge linking the Crimea Peninsula with Russia.
A huge explosion occurred around 6 a.m. local time on Saturday at Crimea Bridge while a train was crossing the bridge.
According to Russia's state news agency RIA Novosti, a fuel tank was on fire on one section of the bridge. It said that the shipping arches were not damaged in the explosion.
On the other hand, Mykhailo Podolyak, an adviser to the head of Ukraine's President’s Office, wrote on Twitter that “everything illegal must be destroyed."
“Crimea, the bridge, the beginning. Everything illegal must be destroyed, everything stolen must be returned to Ukraine, everything occupied by Russia must be expelled,” Podolyak said.
Crimea, the bridge, the beginning. Everything illegal must be destroyed, everything stolen must be returned to Ukraine, everything occupied by Russia must be expelled. pic.twitter.com/yUiSwOLlDP
In August, Podolyak said that the Crimea Bridge should be destroyed as a legitimate military target.
The Crimean Bridge, also called Kerch Strait Bridge or Kerch Bridge, is a pair of now partly destroyed parallel bridges, one road, one rail, spanning the Kerch Strait between the Taman Peninsula of Krasnodar Krai in Russia and the Kerch Peninsula of Crimea in Ukraine.
Russia built the bridge after it annexed Crimea at the start of the Russo-Ukrainian War in 2014. It cost 3.7 billion dollars, and has a length of 19 km, making it the longest bridge Russia has ever built, and the longest bridge in Europe.
Besides transportation, Russia intended the bridge to support its claims to Crimea. (ILKHA)