A bridge connecting Russia to the Crimean peninsula was partially destroyed in an explosion on Saturday. Russian officials said a truck on a fuel-carrying train exploded and set seven tanks on fire, killing three people.
Built in 2018, the structure is strategic for Russia as it is the only link between the country’s territory and Crimea, which belongs to Ukraine but was annexed by Vladimir Putin’s government in 2014.
Built at a cost of US$3.6 billion, the bridge is 17 km long and was the longest in Europe when completed. The Russian government built a structure for cars and a railway line next to it.
As a result of the crash, two lanes for cars were knocked down, but Russian officials say traffic has already partially resumed.
Image: AFP
Who blew up the bridge? Neither Russia nor the Ukrainian government claimed responsibility for the attack, while Ukrainian officials applauded the explosion on social media. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has not yet spoken.
A few hours after the attack, the Russian government decided to change the command of the forces involved in the invasion of Ukraine. Russian Defense Minister, sergei Shoiguthrough the news. telegramAccording to The New York Times.
Officially, the Ukrainian government has not claimed responsibility for the attack. However, some authorities in the country celebrated the explosion of the bridge on social media. andriy YermakChief of Staff to President Volodymyr Zelensky and Emine Dzhepparthe country’s deputy foreign minister.
Image: AFP
Image: -/AFP
Mykhailo Podolyak, Advisor to the Chief of Staff, tweeted an image of the destroyed bridge: “Everything illegal must be destroyed, everything stolen must be returned to Ukraine, everything occupied by Russia must be deported.” However, he later published another message suggesting that the Russians were behind the incident.
Ukraine’s postal service announced on Twitter and on its official website that it has issued a stamp commemorating the explosion. The stamp shows the characters Jack and Rose, the protagonists of the movie Titanic, in front of the burning bridge.
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