At least three people died this Saturday in an explosion attributed to a truck bomb on the Crimean bridgea key infrastructure and symbol of the annexation of the Ukrainian peninsula by Russia, which opened an investigation without immediately accusing Ukraine.
“According to preliminary data, three people died,” probably “the passengers of a vehicle that was near the truck when it exploded”The Russian commission investigating the incident said in a statement.
The text specifies that the dead are possibly passengers in a car that was next to the truck that detonated. Two bodies, a man and a woman, have already been recovered from the Kerch Straitarea through which the bridge passes.
Russia’s National Anti-Terrorism Committee earlier reported that a truck explosion set fire to seven tank cars of a train and partially destroyed the Crimean bridge. The body, in charge of the main criminal investigations in Russia, also claimed to have identified the truck and its owner.suspected of being behind the explosion.
The owner would be an inhabitant of the Krasnodar region, in southern Russia. “An investigation has been opened into his place of residence. The route of the truck and the relevant documents are being studied,” the investigators added.
Images from security cameras circulating on the internet show a huge explosion during the night, which seems to have occurred when a truck passed by. Other images show the burning railway line and a collapsed section of the highway.
The bridge, opened in 2018 and built on the orders of President Vladimir Putin, is the symbol of the annexation of this Ukrainian peninsula by Russia in 2014.
The Ukrainian government did not claim responsibility for the attack., but several officials made ironic and mocking comments. The Ukrainian post office said it would make a stamp to mark the occasion and had the design ready.
“Everything that is illegal must be destroyed, everything that was stolen must be returned to Ukraine”Mikhail Podoliak, an adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, commented on Twitter.
In the same vein, the Ukrainian air force reported on its Telegram account of the “destruction” of the bridge: “This morning on the Crimean bridge. Fuel tanks are on fire. Part of the roadway was also destroyed! It will all be Ukraine!”.
These reactions led the spokeswoman for Russian diplomacy, Maria Zajarova, to consider this fact as a sign of the “terrorist nature” of the Ukrainian authorities.
The head of the Crimean Assembly, the regional parliament installed by Russia, Vladimir Konstantinov, in turn, was quick to denounce what happened as a coup by “Ukrainian vandals”. The Kremlin spokesman, Dmitri Peskov, quickly told the Ria Novosti agency that Putin ordered the creation of a government commission to clarify the facts..
According to the Anti-Terrorist Committee, two vehicle lanes were damaged, although the arch of the bridge, deployed over the Kerch Strait, was not affected. The fire on the Crimean bridge, which is used for vehicles and trains, forced all traffic to stop. Ferries were enabled to facilitate the crossing, according to Russian agencies.
The bridge is essential for transporting people and goods to the peninsula, but also for supplying the Russian troops deployed in Ukraine. The head of the peninsula, installed by Moscow, Sergei Aksyonov, asked the inhabitants of Crimea to remain “calm”. Authorities also tried to calm fears of food and fuel shortages..
Russia always claimed that the bridge was not at risk despite the fighting in Ukraine, but threatened kyiv with retaliation if Ukrainian forces attacked this infrastructure or others in Crimea. Russian deputy Oleg Morozov, quoted by the Ria Novosti agency, today called for an “adequate” response. “Otherwise, these types of terrorist attacks will multiply”said.
Since the start of the war there have been several explosions at Russian military installations on the peninsula, whose responsibility was not claimed by Ukraine until months later.