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2022 Crimean Bridge explosion
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2022 Crimean Bridge explosion
The 2022 Crimean Bridge explosion occurred on 8 October 2022, at 6:07 a.m. A fire broke out on the Crimean Bridge as a result of an explosion of a bomb that had been loaded onto a truck. The explosion occurred on the road bridge, on the westbound vehicle lanes, from Russia to Kerch in Russian-occupied Crimea. The explosion caused two two-lane vehicular spans of the bridge to collapse into the water; two adjacent eastbound lanes on a separate structure survived. The adjoining railway bridge was damaged by a railway tanker car that caught fire. Five people were killed. Following the incident, the Investigative Committee of Russia launched an investigation.
The damage caused by the explosion reduced the transport capacity of the bridge, which is being used to supply Russian troops in Crimea during the invasion of Ukraine. The explosion occurred the day after the 70th birthday of Russian President Vladimir Putin and one week after the announcement of the annexation of four Ukrainian regions by Russia.
Russian officials and a "senior Ukrainian official" speaking to The New York Times stated the explosion was from a bomb loaded onto a truck. BBC News reported that it was more likely to have been caused by a maritime drone. The Russian Federal Security Service later detained five Russian citizens and three people from Ukraine and Armenia, who were accused of organising the attack.
At the time, no-one claimed responsibility. and Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that his government "did not order" it. However, in July 2023, Ukraine's Deputy Minister of Defense Hanna Maliar acknowledged Ukraine had conducted the attack "in order to break the logistics of the Russians". The Security Service of Ukraine confirmed that Ukraine was behind the attack. In August, Vasyl Malyuk, head of the Security Service of Ukraine, gave an interview to The New Voice of Ukraine in which he detailed how a truck carrying explosives was used to cause the explosion.
The Crimean Bridge is a pair of parallel bridges, one carrying a four-lane road and the other a double-track railway, spanning the Kerch Strait between Russia on the east side and Crimea in Ukraine on the west side. Construction on the bridge began in February 2016, following the Russian occupation and annexation of the Crimean peninsula in 2014. The Russian authorities called the construction an "historic mission", one of the key tasks for the "final unification of Crimea with Russia". In May 2018, the road bridge was opened to traffic, and in December 2019, the rail bridge became operational.
During the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, both bridges have been used to supply the Russian Armed Forces in the Southern Ukraine campaign. While other methods of supplying resources to Crimea exist, including ports, the Crimean Bridge is an important part of the infrastructure.
Ukrainian officials and military have repeatedly declared their intention to destroy the Crimean Bridge, considering it as a legitimate military target. In June 2022, Major General of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Dmytro Marchenko stated that it would become "target number one" as soon as Ukraine had weapons to attack it. In April 2022, Dmitry Medvedev, former President and Deputy Chairman of the Security Council of Russia, said: "One of the Ukrainian generals talked about the need to strike at the Crimean Bridge. I hope he understands what the retaliatory target will be." In August 2022, Ukrainian presidential advisor Mykhailo Podolyak told The Guardian: "It's an illegal construction and the main gateway to supply the Russian army in Crimea. Such objects should be destroyed."
On 8 October 2022 at 6:07 a.m. local time, there was an explosion on (or near) the lanes of the road bridge, heading towards the Crimean city of Kerch. The explosion occurred midway between the main arch span over the Kerch–Yenikale shipping channel and Tuzla Island. It caused three of the four spans on one side of the bridge to collapse into the water. The press service of the Crimea Railway stated that at 6:05 a.m. they detected an error on the railway bridge, and that a fuel container wagon caught fire in the tail of a freight train. Wind from north blew flames and smoke towards the Black Sea. Traffic by road, rail and sea were stopped, with long queues forming on land and sea. The explosion was not immediately reported by the Russian authorities as an act of sabotage. The road bridge was reopened to a single lane of light traffic later in the day (with traffic alternating in each direction), and some rail traffic.
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2022 Crimean Bridge explosion
The 2022 Crimean Bridge explosion occurred on 8 October 2022, at 6:07 a.m. A fire broke out on the Crimean Bridge as a result of an explosion of a bomb that had been loaded onto a truck. The explosion occurred on the road bridge, on the westbound vehicle lanes, from Russia to Kerch in Russian-occupied Crimea. The explosion caused two two-lane vehicular spans of the bridge to collapse into the water; two adjacent eastbound lanes on a separate structure survived. The adjoining railway bridge was damaged by a railway tanker car that caught fire. Five people were killed. Following the incident, the Investigative Committee of Russia launched an investigation.
The damage caused by the explosion reduced the transport capacity of the bridge, which is being used to supply Russian troops in Crimea during the invasion of Ukraine. The explosion occurred the day after the 70th birthday of Russian President Vladimir Putin and one week after the announcement of the annexation of four Ukrainian regions by Russia.
Russian officials and a "senior Ukrainian official" speaking to The New York Times stated the explosion was from a bomb loaded onto a truck. BBC News reported that it was more likely to have been caused by a maritime drone. The Russian Federal Security Service later detained five Russian citizens and three people from Ukraine and Armenia, who were accused of organising the attack.
At the time, no-one claimed responsibility. and Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that his government "did not order" it. However, in July 2023, Ukraine's Deputy Minister of Defense Hanna Maliar acknowledged Ukraine had conducted the attack "in order to break the logistics of the Russians". The Security Service of Ukraine confirmed that Ukraine was behind the attack. In August, Vasyl Malyuk, head of the Security Service of Ukraine, gave an interview to The New Voice of Ukraine in which he detailed how a truck carrying explosives was used to cause the explosion.
The Crimean Bridge is a pair of parallel bridges, one carrying a four-lane road and the other a double-track railway, spanning the Kerch Strait between Russia on the east side and Crimea in Ukraine on the west side. Construction on the bridge began in February 2016, following the Russian occupation and annexation of the Crimean peninsula in 2014. The Russian authorities called the construction an "historic mission", one of the key tasks for the "final unification of Crimea with Russia". In May 2018, the road bridge was opened to traffic, and in December 2019, the rail bridge became operational.
During the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, both bridges have been used to supply the Russian Armed Forces in the Southern Ukraine campaign. While other methods of supplying resources to Crimea exist, including ports, the Crimean Bridge is an important part of the infrastructure.
Ukrainian officials and military have repeatedly declared their intention to destroy the Crimean Bridge, considering it as a legitimate military target. In June 2022, Major General of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Dmytro Marchenko stated that it would become "target number one" as soon as Ukraine had weapons to attack it. In April 2022, Dmitry Medvedev, former President and Deputy Chairman of the Security Council of Russia, said: "One of the Ukrainian generals talked about the need to strike at the Crimean Bridge. I hope he understands what the retaliatory target will be." In August 2022, Ukrainian presidential advisor Mykhailo Podolyak told The Guardian: "It's an illegal construction and the main gateway to supply the Russian army in Crimea. Such objects should be destroyed."
On 8 October 2022 at 6:07 a.m. local time, there was an explosion on (or near) the lanes of the road bridge, heading towards the Crimean city of Kerch. The explosion occurred midway between the main arch span over the Kerch–Yenikale shipping channel and Tuzla Island. It caused three of the four spans on one side of the bridge to collapse into the water. The press service of the Crimea Railway stated that at 6:05 a.m. they detected an error on the railway bridge, and that a fuel container wagon caught fire in the tail of a freight train. Wind from north blew flames and smoke towards the Black Sea. Traffic by road, rail and sea were stopped, with long queues forming on land and sea. The explosion was not immediately reported by the Russian authorities as an act of sabotage. The road bridge was reopened to a single lane of light traffic later in the day (with traffic alternating in each direction), and some rail traffic.