According to Russian news agency Tass, an explosion occurred early Saturday morning on Europe’s longest bridge, which connects Russia and Crimea.
“An object believed to be a fuel storage tank has caught fire on the Crimean Bridge, but the viaduct’s navigable arches sustained no damage, an aide to the head of Crimea, Oleg Kryuchkov, said on Saturday,” according to the news outlet.
“According to preliminary information, a fuel storage tank is on fire… Navigable arches were not damaged. It is too early to speak about causes and consequences. Work to extinguish the blaze is underway,” Kryuchkov wrote in his Telegram channel.
BREAKING: Explosion Reportedly Destroys Part of Bridge Connecting Russia and Crimea
Per Wikipedia:
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. The bridge was built by Russia after it annexed Crimea at the start of the Russo-Ukrainian War in 2014. It cost 3.7 billion dollars, has a length of 19 km (12 mi), 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.
According to Telegraph, Russia’s investigative committee said it had “initiated a criminal case in connection with the incident on the Crimean bridge,” adding that “a truck was blown up.”
“Russia’s National Anti-Terrorism Committee says a truck bomb caused seven railway cars carrying fuel to catch fire, resulting in a “partial collapse of two sections of the bridge.” The committee didn’t immediately apportion blame,” the outlet reported.
Here's footage from the reported explosion:
BREAKING: Surveillance video shows massive explosion on the Crimean Bridge pic.twitter.com/jo3yZK3L0I
— BNO News (@BNONews) October 8, 2022
Closer look at the collapsed road span of the Crimean bridge pic.twitter.com/ZW1OOAKdns
— OSINTtechnical (@Osinttechnical) October 8, 2022
Following the attack on Saturday, the Ukrainian Department of Defense threatened more attacks on Russia.
“The guided missile cruiser Moskva and the Kerch Bridge – two notorious symbols of russian power in Ukrainian Crimea – have gone down. What’s next in line, russkies?” the Ukrainian Department of Defense’s Twitter page wrote.
The guided missile cruiser Moskva and the Kerch Bridge – two notorious symbols of russian power in Ukrainian Crimea – have gone down.
What’s next in line, russkies?— Defense of Ukraine (@DefenceU) October 8, 2022
Hours after the reported explosion, Ukraine's Post Office unveiled a new stamp celebrating the bridge's alleged bombing.
Ukraine unveils stamps celebrating Kerch bridge explosion - hours after the attack
Timing of the Post Office announcement, just hours after the Crimea bridge was destroyed, raises questions about the nature of the explosion
Thread 🧵⬇️https://t.co/Gcfob4zriM
— The Telegraph (@Telegraph) October 8, 2022
"The stamp features a drawing of two figures who resemble Hollywood stars Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet locked in their embrace from the Titanic film," according to Telegraph.
"On the stamp, the two figures stand on the edge of a destroyed bridge. Behind them, smoke billows from its ruins."
➡️The stamp features a drawing of two figures who resemble Hollywood stars Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet locked in their embrace from the Titanic film.
On the stamp, the two figures stand on the edge of a destroyed bridge. Behind them, smoke billows from its ruins pic.twitter.com/AyUfMVmU8G
— The Telegraph (@Telegraph) October 8, 2022
Ukraine is already issuing a stamp to mark the occasion. They’ve been preparing for this moment a long time. pic.twitter.com/L7ykUgBJ9n
— Oliver Carroll (@olliecarroll) October 8, 2022
🔴The stamp issue also features a drawing of fish swimming past a Russian road sign and traffic lights lying on the seabed pic.twitter.com/1B3yyvMR14
— The Telegraph (@Telegraph) October 8, 2022
"Russia has accused Ukraine of attacking the bridge this morning but the Ukrainian authorities have not claimed responsibility," Telegraph tweeted.
Russia has accused Ukraine of attacking the bridge this morning but the Ukrainian authorities have not claimed responsibility.
Read @jkjourno's piece in full here ⬇️https://t.co/Gcfob4zriM
— The Telegraph (@Telegraph) October 8, 2022
From The New Voice of Ukraine:
The new stamp will be available in the first half of November, Ukrposhta said in a post on its webite.
The “Crimean bridge for an encore!” stamps will have a print run of 7 million. A sheet of seven stamps will cost UAH 126. The stamp will also be accompanied by a “First Day” envelope, an unmarked art envelope and a card. The artist was Ukrainian painter Yuriy Shapoval.
In addition to the main event, the image on the stamp contains several interesting details, Ukrposhta said.
“(They include) a cigarette butt in the hands of the heroine, as evidence that the invaders have recently suffered greatly from smoking in prohibited places, the passenger car of the invaders, which fell into an abyss, losing stolen washing machines and other goods, a Bayraktar, which accidentally flew over the bridge, (and) a broken enemy tank, which the invaders were transporting to the front as part of a convoy.”
An explosion and fire hit the Crimean bridge early on Oct. 8. The bridge connects Russia and the Ukrainian peninsula, which has been under Russian military occupation since 2014. The bridge is a vital route through which Russia moves reinforcements and supplies for its invasion forces.
The bridge is now partially destroyed, and traffic across it has been suspended. At first, the invaders stated that a “tank of fuel” had caught on fire, later they said that allegedly a truck had blown up on the bridge.
NV’s sources in law enforcement agencies said that the blowing up of the bridge was a special operation by Ukraine’s SBU security service.
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