Crimea

Strategically important infrastructure is symbol of Moscow's pride in its invasion of Ukraine.

The Kerch Bridge in Crimea is crucial for the Kremlin's military operations in southern Ukraine.

“This week alone, our soldiers liberated 776 square kilometers of territory in the east of our country and 29 settlements,” Zelenskyy said. The construction of the bridge was slammed by both Kyiv and its Western backers as illegal at the time. Over the past months, Ukrainian officials have repeatedly declared Kyiv’s plans to target the Crimea bridge. Kyiv hasn’t claimed responsibility for the damage to the bridge, but Ukrainian officials celebrated the blast on social media. Russia’s Investigative Committee said three people were killed in the explosion, according to media reports. “Fuel tanks have also caught fire,”Aksyonov said in a post on social media.

The National Anti-Terrorism Committee said the bomb set alight seven railway carriages carrying fuel.

Two passenger trains departed from the Crimean cities of Sevastopol and Simferopol and headed toward the bridge on Saturday evening. The bridge has train and road sections. The truck was owned by a resident of the Krasnodar region in southern Russia, Russia’s Investigative Committee said. The Energy Ministry said Crimea has enough fuel for 15 days and it was working on ways to replenish stock. Crimea holds symbolic value for Russia and is key to sustaining its military operations in southern Ukraine. Russian legislators urged Mr Putin to declare a “counterterrorism operation” in response.

Russia's RIA state news agency reported that a fuel tank caught fire on the Kerch bridge at around 6am on Saturday morning.

"We ask truck drivers to plan their route using the Kerch ferry crossing. At the moment, traffic is open to cars and buses with a full inspection procedure. Three people were killed from the blast on the bridge which links Russia to Crimea.

The blast on the bridge occurred hours after explosions rocked the eastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv, sending towering plumes of smoke into the sky and ...

The Association of Russia's tourist agencies estimated that about 50,000 tourists were in Crimea on vacation at the time of the blast. Dmytro Zhyvytskyi, the regional governor, said on Telegram that a 51-year-old civilian man had been killed. Russian missiles damaged more than 40 apartment buildings on Thursday in the Ukrainian-controlled city, which is nevertheless the official capital of a region Moscow moved to illegally annex last week. Irina Mezavtsova, a deputy head of the regional ministry for industrial policies, said there would be no restrictions on sales of consumer products. Sinehubov said Russia had deployed S-300s missiles in the strike. An advisor to Zelenskyy, Mykhailo Podolyak, tweeted: "Crimea, the bridge, the beginning. President" on the right. "And this is just the beginning. The $3.6 billion project is a tangible symbol of Moscow's claims on Crimea and has provided an essential link to the Crimean Peninsula, which Russia annexed from Ukraine in 2014. Ukrainian officials have repeatedly threatened to strike the bridge and some lauded the attack, but Kyiv stopped short of claiming responsibility. The bridge has train and automobile sections. The Peninsula holds symbolic value for Russia and is key to sustaining its military operations in the south of Ukraine.

An explosion has caused the partial collapse of a bridge linking Russia to the Crimean peninsula, damaging a key supply artery for the Kremlin's faltering ...

Two passenger trains departed from the Crimean cities of Sevastopol and Simferopol and headed toward the bridge on Saturday evening. The bridge has train and road sections. The truck was owned by a resident of the Krasnodar region in southern Russia, Russia’s Investigative Committee said. The Energy Ministry said Crimea has enough fuel for 15 days and it was working on ways to replenish stock. Crimea holds symbolic value for Russia and is key to sustaining its military operations in southern Ukraine. Russian legislators urged Mr Putin to declare a “counterterrorism operation” in response.

Ukrainians relish show of Russian vulnerability after explosion on supposedly untouchable 18-mile prestige structure.

Russia had for months assumed that Crimea – including the Kerch bridge – was beyond the ability of Ukrainian forces to strike. there will be a melting of the active core and a release of radioactivity from there.” Within hours it said three people had been killed and blamed a truck bomb for the blast. Sergei Surovikin opened fire on pro-democracy protesters in the 1990s and led the 2017 Russian military expedition in Syria, where he was accused of using contentious tactics, including indiscriminate bombing of anti-government fighters. [it had appointed a notorious veteran with a bloody record](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/oct/08/russia-appoints-notorious-general-sergei-surovikin-ukraine) as its first overall commander for the war in Ukraine. The blast destroyed the road into Crimea and left the railway link in flames.

General Sergey Surovikin will take total command of forces who have been largely forced into retreat by a Ukrainian counter attack. It is believed the 18-mile ...

Surovikin’s appointment comes as dissent over Putin’s running of the war has been hit by criticism from senior military figures and even from the President’s inner circle, according to intelligence reports in the US. Surovikin led Russian forces in Syria and was has been accused of instigating the bombardement which destroyed much of the city of Aleppo. [The Ministry of Defence said Kyiv ](/news/world/ukrainian-president-volodymyr-zelensky-russia-putin-ukraine-annexed-kherson-b1030589.html)had captured and repurposed at least 440 Russian battle tanks and 650 armoured vehicles. He was promoted to General of the Army in 2021 and over this summer was placed in charge of troops in southern Ukraine. The attack on Saturday morning caused a section of the bridge, used to supply Russian troops in Ukraine by road and rail, to collapse into the water. [ladmir Putin](/news/world/belarus-russia-ukraine-was-alexander-lukashenko-vladimir-putin-tractor-birthday-b1031100.html) has promoted a new general to take charge of [Russia](/topic/russia)’s military campaign in [Ukraine](/topic/ukraine) after a key strategic bridge in [Crimea](/topic/crimea) was damaged in an explosion.

Vehicle traffic has resumed on Russia's only bridge to Crimea just hours after an explosion caused its partial collapse and killed three people.

The secretary of Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council, Oleksiy Danilov, tweeted a video with the Kerch Bridge on fire and Marilyn Monroe singing her “Happy Birthday Mr. Kharkiv resident Tetiana Samoilenko's apartment caught fire in the attack. “Russian illegal construction is starting to fall apart and catch fire. Passenger ferry links between Crimea and the Russian mainland were being relaunched on Sunday. It didn’t say who the third victim was. Nobody immediately claimed responsibility for the blast.

A large fire on the only crossing between the occupied Crimean peninsula and Russia was caused by a lorry explosion, Russian officials say.

The bridge is particularly hated by Ukrainians. The crossing is more than 100 miles from Ukrainian-held territory. "Two notorious symbols of Russian power in Ukrainian Crimea have gone down," it tweeted. He added the damage to the bridge would be "promptly restored, since it is not of a serious nature". It is hard to exaggerate the significance, and symbolism, of seeing the bridge on fire. The official Twitter account of the Ukraine government responded to the fire by tweeting: "Sick burn."

The $3.6 billion project is a tangible symbol of Moscow's claims on Crimea.The speaker of Crimea's Kremlin-backed regional parliament blamed Ukraine for the ...

He said that the blasts sparked fires at one of the city’s medical institutions and a nonresidential building. and the European Union. While Russia seized the areas north of Crimea early during the invasion and built a land corridor to it along the An advisor to Zelenskyy, Mykhailo Podolyak tweeted: "Crimea, the bridge, the beginning. “And this is just the beginning. The $3.6 billion project is a tangible symbol of Moscow’s claims on Crimea. President” on the right side. It has provided an essential link to the Crimean Peninsula, which Russia annexed from Ukraine in 2014. most recent photo of the roadways:— Kevin Rothrock (@KevinRothrock) Ukrainian officials have repeatedly threatened to strike the bridge and some lauded the attack, but Kyiv stopped short of claiming responsibility. The bridge has train and automobile sections. The Crimean Peninsula holds symbolic value for Russia and is key to sustaining its military operations in the south.

Experts to assess extent of damage as limited traffic appears to resume on key bridge and Vladimir Putin orders extra security for infrastructure.

The Russian National Anti-Terrorism Committee said a freight truck had blown up on the bridge’s roadway at 6.07am (0307 GMT). Russian officials said three people had been killed, probably the occupants of a car travelling near a truck that blew up. [it had appointed a notorious veteran with a bloody record](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/oct/08/russia-appoints-notorious-general-sergei-surovikin-ukraine) as its first overall commander for the war in Ukraine. Sergei Surovikin opened fire on pro-democracy protesters in the 1990s and led the 2017 Russian military expedition in Syria, where he was accused of using contentious tactics, including indiscriminate bombing of anti-government fighters. Ukraine did not directly claim responsibility for the attack, which Russia said was carried out by a truck bomb. Apartment buildings and roads in a residential area were damaged, Anatoliy Kurtev said on Telegram. “This is a future without occupiers, across our territory, particularly in Crimea.“ our future is sunny,” he said. Russia’s defence ministry said its forces in southern Ukraine could be “fully supplied” through existing land and sea routes. Russia has previously threatened retaliation for any attack on the bridge. The bridge is a major artery for the Russian forces that control most of southern Ukraine’s Kherson region and for the Russian naval port of Sevastopol, whose governor told locals: “Keep calm, don’t panic.” Russian divers are to examine the extent of the damage caused by a powerful blast on Russia’s road-and-rail bridge to Crimea, a hated symbol of Russian occupation and key logistics link for Russian troops in southern

Moscow moves to secure the key connector and repair it as soon as possible after the explosion.

Hours after the bridge explosion, Russia appointed a new commander to lead its troops in Ukraine. It is hard to overstate the political, symbolic and strategic significance of the Crimean bridge. Unverified posts on social media also appeared to show apartment blocks in flames. A Russian national anti-terrorism committee said the damage was caused by a truck bomb blowing up, which caused seven railway carriages to catch fire. Last month, Ukraine claimed responsibility for a series of air strikes on Crimea - including an attack on Russia's Saky military base. The blast killed three people, Russian investigators said.

The bridge over the Kerch Strait linking the Russian mainland to Crimea was a crucial piece of infrastructure for the Russian war effort.

It also became a major supply route for Russian forces after Moscow invaded Ukraine on Feb. The bridge is crucial for the supply of fuel, food and other products to Crimea, where the port of Sevastopol is the historic home base of Russia's Black Sea Fleet. The Kerch bridge from Russia to Crimea has been hit by a massive explosion on the span that carries railway traffic early on Oct. [Russia](https://english.alaraby.co.uk/news/russian-divers-inspect-damage-blast-hit-crimea-bridge) and the [Crimean peninsula](https://english.alaraby.co.uk/news/ukraine-russia-says-three-killed-crimea-bridge-explosion) was damaged in a powerful blast on Saturday, hitting a crucial supply route for Russian forces in [Ukraine](https://english.alaraby.co.uk/news/least-twelve-killed-ukraine-city-shelling-official). The 19-km (12-mile) Crimea Bridge over the Kerch Strait is the only direct link between the transport network of Russia and the Crimean peninsula, which Moscow annexed from Ukraine in 2014. Why is the bridge linking Russia to the Crimean peninsula so critical?

Transport capacity on the Kerch Bridge “will be seriously degraded,” UK Defense Ministry says.

Kyiv is now [asking](https://www.politico.com/news/2022/10/05/ukraine-advances-air-defenses-putin-00060580) for more Western weapons, including air defense systems. [leading](https://www.politico.com/news/2022/10/05/ukraine-advances-air-defenses-putin-00060580) a counteroffensive against Russia and regaining territory and towns held by Moscow. Despite Moscow’s message of business as usual, the U.K.’s Defense Ministry said that transport “capacity will be seriously degraded” on the bridge. “We urgently need more modern air and missile defense systems to save innocent lives. The initial report from Moscow’s inspection of the bridge is due later Sunday. Putin tightened security for the bridge and for energy infrastructure between Russia and Crimea.

Russian divers were sent this morning to assess the damage to the crossing, which is seen as a symbol of Moscow's annexation of the peninsula as well as a key ...

[Russia’s occupation of the region.](https://inews.co.uk/news/world/russia-annex-crimea-why-putin-invaded-2014-what-happened-nato-annexation-explained-1424682?ico=in-line_link) [key logistical target for Ukrainian forces](https://inews.co.uk/news/volodymyr-zelensky-announces-ukraine-has-cleared-russian-troops-from-the-key-city-of-lyman-1890150?ico=in-line_link) and the side has responded positively to the blast. [infrastructure supplying electricity and natural gas to Crimea ](https://inews.co.uk/news/politics/uk-arm-ukraine-russia-out-zelensky-ben-wallace-1619366?ico=in-line_link)and ordered an investigation. [Russian-occupied Crimea](https://inews.co.uk/news/world/ukraine-attacks-crimea-effect-russian-leaders-expose-horror-putin-war-1805528?ico=in-line_link) and the Krasnodar region of Russia. [key logistic role since the invasion, ](https://inews.co.uk/news/politics/russia-leave-crimea-ben-wallace-uk-remove-cancerous-growth-ukraine-1599694?ico=in-line_link)with the Russian military moving heavy military vehicles to the southern front. [ truck blew up on Saturday morning.](https://inews.co.uk/news/world/crimea-bridge-huge-explosion-key-kerch-bridge-peninsula-russia-1901132?ico=in-line_link)

Any impediment to traffic on the bridge could affect Russia's ability to wage war in southern Ukraine, where Ukraine's forces have been fighting an ...

Peskov, referred to the episode as an “emergency” in a statement on Saturday. The strike set off a series of explosions that eventually caused the cruiser to sink, killing an unknown number of sailors, including possibly the ship’s captain. “It is another ratchet of the pressure on President Putin.” Without it, analysts said, the Russian military will be severely limited in its ability to bring fuel, equipment and ammunition to Russian units fighting in the Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions, two of the four Ukrainian provinces that Mr. A small sedan and a tractor-trailer truck driving side by side appear at the epicenter of the blast. In video captured by a surveillance camera on the bridge, a huge fireball is seen, seeming to consume several vehicles. American officials said that they were not aware of the plan ahead of time and that they had admonished Ukraine over it. Any serious impediment to traffic on the bridge could have a profound effect on Russia’s ability to wage war in southern Ukraine, where Ukrainian forces have been fighting an increasingly effective counteroffensive. The explosion is emblematic of a Russian military in disarray. By Saturday evening, the railroad section of the bridge had undergone repairs and a train with 15 cars had successfully crossed the span, according to a Russian state news agency, Tass. Car traffic had also resumed on the undamaged side of the bridge, the head of Crimea, Sergei Aksyonov, said in a post on Telegram. The official, speaking on the condition of anonymity because of a government ban on discussing the blast, added that Ukraine’s intelligence services had orchestrated the explosion, using a bomb loaded onto a truck being driven across the bridge.

The bridge over the Kerch Strait leading from the Russian mainland to Crimea was a crucial piece of infrastructure used by Russian forces to support their ...

The Russian National Anti-Terrorism Committee said a freight truck had blown up on the bridge's roadway at 6:07 am (0307 GMT). Russian officials said three people had been killed, probably the occupants of a car travelling near a truck that blew up. "This is a future without occupiers, across our territory, particularly in Crimea." It designated Air Force General Sergei Surovikin to take charge of the invasion effort. Russia's defence ministry said its forces in southern Ukraine could be "fully supplied" through existing land and sea routes. "The situation is manageable - it's unpleasant, but not fatal," Crimea's Russian governor, Sergei Aksyonov, told reporters. our future is sunny," he added. Don't panic." The head of Ukraine's National Security and Defence Council posted a video of the bridge on social media alongside a video of Marilyn Monroe singing "Happy birthday, Mr President". (Reuters) - Russian divers will examine on Sunday the damage caused by a powerful blast on Russia's road-and-rail bridge to Crimea that hit a prestigious symbol of Moscow's annexation of the peninsula and a key supply route to its forces in Ukraine— Phil Stewart (@phildstewart) [Russian](https://english.alaraby.co.uk/news/russian-launches-space-us-first-time-20-years) divers will examine on Sunday the damage caused by a powerful blast on Russia's road-and-rail [bridge to Crimea](https://english.alaraby.co.uk/news/crimea-bridge-blast-could-escalate-russias-war-ukraine) that hit a prestigious symbol of Moscow's annexation of the peninsula and a key supply route to forces battling in southern Ukraine. The bridge is a major artery for the Russian forces that control most of southern Ukraine's Kherson region and for the Russian naval port of Sevastopol, whose governor told locals, "Keep calm.