Cars are already rolling over the Crimean Bridge, which connects the peninsula with the mainland. However, it is still unclear how extensive the damage is caused by an exploded truck. A diving mission should bring clarity.
One day after the heavy explosion on the connecting bridge from the mainland to the annexed peninsula of Crimea, which is strategically extremely important for Russia, divers are to examine the damage to the structure. “The situation can be managed. It is unpleasant, but not fatal,” Russian Crimea governor Sergei Axyonov told reporters. “Obviously, emotions were triggered and there’s a healthy desire to seek revenge.”
A truck exploded on the road and railway bridge on Saturday morning, seven fuel transport trailers of a freight train caught fire, parts of the road collapsed. According to Russian sources, three people died. The cause and whether it was an accident or an attack was still not clear. The incident was celebrated in Ukraine, but no responsibility was taken. The 19 km long bridge spans the Kerch Strait, a strait between the Black and Azov Seas.
Russian President Vladimir Putin’s prestige project was opened in 2018, four years after Russia’s illegal annexation of Crimea. The bridge plays a crucial role in Moscow’s war effort in Ukraine, because a significant part of the supplies for the soldiers in the Crimea and in the largely occupied southern Ukrainian region of Kherson are delivered via it from the Russian mainland.
Crimea has repeatedly been the target of Ukrainian counterattacks in recent months. Among other things, an important airfield was hit. Car traffic on the Kerch Bridge started up again to a limited extent about ten hours after the explosion, and clearance was also granted for rail traffic. According to the Russian Defense Ministry, Crimea has enough fuel for a month. There is enough food for more than two months. The Russian troops in southern Ukraine could also be supplied entirely via existing land and sea routes.
President Putin ordered increased security measures. However, political experts such as James Nixey from the British think tank Chatham House were skeptical. The Russians could repair the bridge. “But you can’t defend them while losing a war,” he said.
