“As a result of the explosion that took place on October 8 at 6 a.m., the Crimean Bridge was hit by a violent fire”, reports news site Obozrevatel. According to initial estimates, “1,300 meters of the railway line and two sections of the road line were reportedly destroyed”.
Consequences to Kherson
“At first the occupants said it was a fuel tank that caught fire on a freight train, later they claimed it was a truck that had exploded on the road, before assuring that ‘everything is under control’.”
The partial destruction of the Crimean bridge, continues Obozrevatel, occurs while “In recent weeks, the occupying forces of the Russian Federation had already suffered setbacks and were forced to retreat. And the ‘accident’ on the Kerch bridge further compromises the occupants’ ability to stay in Kherson”.
“Even if it is not the Ukrainian Armed Forces who are responsible for this, comment on the weekly Dzerkalo Tyjnia, but whether it is a divine miracle, in the Kremlin, the burning and destruction of a section of the Crimean bridge must be considered as a sign that the war against Ukraine is definitely at a turning point, and that things can only get worse.” And the weekly adds:
“It is a signal sent by Ukrainians to the whole world that nothing is impossible when you fight to liberate your land and your people.”
A warning for the Russians
All the media in Ukraine agree that the explosion on the Crimean bridge, while it has obvious strategic repercussions, is above all an event of great symbolic significance. According to Vitaliy Bala, a Ukrainian political scientist interviewed by the television channel Apostrophe, “This is an extremely important event, especially from a moral point of view: it will further convince our fellow citizens that our country will be victorious in this war. It is also the demonstration, for the outside world, of the capabilities of the Ukrainian armed forces and special services, which were able to carry out such an operation. Therefore, the West will more quickly provide us with the necessary amount of weapons that we ask for, and therefore, we will win faster”.
But this act would above all be a direct warning to the Russians. In Moscow, “the situation was already not simple in the context of the Ukrainian counter-offensive in the east and south, but this event is more symbolic for ordinary citizens of Russia. More and more people will understand that this is a very real war that is taking place, and not at all some vague ‘special operation’, and that the armed forces of Ukraine are capable not only of defending themselves, but also to reclaim Ukrainian lands. In other words, from the point of demoralization and demotivation of the Russians, the explosion of the bridge is a very good thing”.
“Of course the Russians can increase the pressure on Ukraine’s civilian infrastructure and population, but it’s highly unlikely that anything unexpected will happen, anything worse than what we already know. Of course, they can start brandishing the nuclear, chemical and biological threat again. But talking about ‘red lines’ not to cross makes no sense for Russians after February 24, it’s all blackmail and bluff.” – Vitaliy Bala, Ukrainian political scientist.
Putin humiliated
Whatever, “It’s a very hard blow for Putin’s image”, points out Apostrof in another article on his site. “The Kerch Bridge was the symbol of his power, and this symbol was destroyed. If he is not able to defend his bridge, how can he defend each of his fellow citizens. Today the bridge, and tomorrow the Kremlin?”
The interruption of traffic on the Kerch bridge is certainly “a disaster for the deliveries of food and weapons intended for the troops in the occupied territory of the Kherson region”, explains daily life in Lviv Vissoky Castle. But it is also a “personal snub for Putin”.
“Russian society, even in the most remote parts of the Federation, now understands that the leader has aged” and he proves of his impotence. And everyone says to themselves: my relatives will soon be sent to Kherson while there, we can no longer transfer either weapons or fuel”. The newspaper warns its readers:
“All the Russian hawks are going to start howling, calling for strikes on decision-making centers in Ukraine, the use of nuclear weapons. But Putin is scared. First he is afraid for himself. Because in his soul he is an incredible coward.”
Nevertheless, “What he fears most in life is humiliation, and the attack on the Crimean Bridge is the worst humiliation for him. The next time we see him in public, he will look even more aged. The humiliation will eat away at him”.