On Saturday, a fire broke out in the Kerch Bridge, as a result of the explosion of a truck bomb, which in an initial toll claimed the lives of 3 people, and fuel tanks caught fire on a train crossing the bridge, according to a Russian commission that took over the investigation.
The deputy speaker of the State Duma described the bombing as a “declaration of war”, and the Russian Foreign Ministry considered it evidence of the “terrorist nature” of the Ukrainian government, while the Ukrainian Defense Ministry described it as “the downfall of Russia’s symbols.”
The fire comes days after the explosions of the Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines linking Russia and Germany. With the recurrence of these incidents, the question arises about the new stage in which the war between Russia and Ukraine will proceed in its eighth month.
what happened?
- At 06:05 on Saturday morning, the Crimean Railways announced that an act of sabotage had targeted a section of the railway on the Crimean Bridge across the Kerch Strait.
- The flames spread to the fuel tank of a freight train.
- A Russian investigative committee announced the killing of 3 people, who were in a car passing near the truck.
- Train traffic from Moscow and Saint Petersburg to Simferopol was delayed, and traffic on the bridge slowed.
- Russia announces the resumption of traffic on the bridge on Saturday evening.
What did the officials say?
- Crimean President Vladimir Konstantinov accused Ukraine of being behind the incident.
- The deputy speaker of the Russian State Duma called it a “declaration of war.”
- The Russian Foreign Ministry considered it evidence of the “terrorist nature” of the government of Ukraine.
- The Ukrainian Defense Ministry said that the bombing of the bridge and the sinking of the Moskva ship brought down the symbols of Russia in Crimea.
- Adviser to the Ukrainian president, Mikhail Podolyak, said: “The explosion is just the beginning, everything illegal must be destroyed.”
Previous threats
- In June, the commander of the Ukrainian forces, Dmitry Marchenko, threatened to destroy the Crimean Bridge.
- Ukraine’s military intelligence said it had obtained documents about the bridge’s structure, from the topography and piers of the bridges, landslide-proof structures, entrances and exits.
- The Ukrainian president’s advisor confirmed that his country intends to liberate all its lands, including Crimea.
- The Secretary of the Russian Security Council, Nikolai Patrushev, warned of the high risk of threats in Crimea.
What is the bridge “Project of the Century”?
- It is a pair of land bridges and railways, built by Russia after it annexed Crimea in 2014.
- The idea of its construction dates back to the imperial and then the Soviet era.
- Constructed with beams of massive concrete and steel structures, Russia deployed a powerful air defense system to protect it.
- The longest bridge in Europe, 19 km long and 35 meters high at its central arch.
- Russian President Vladimir Putin personally drove a truck during its $3 billion opening in 2018.
- The first passenger train ran across the bridge December 25, 2019, and the Russians consider it the “Project of the Century”.
- His role is vital in supplying Moscow with its forces in the Crimea.
new stage
Political analyst Mustafa Al-Tousa believes that the Crimean Bridge fire can be put on the same level as the operations that targeted the “Nord Stream 1 and 2” lines, which he described as a “paradigm shift” in the war that has now entered a “new phase.”
This stage includes removing the cards of power from the opponent’s hand, according to Toussa’s interview with “Sky News Arabia”, who asked a question: “How does the Russian leadership react to punish those who are behind these operations?”, especially since it seems that Ukraine does not only want to restore the four regions that were Russia annexed it in referendums, but it is also seeking to recover Crimea.
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