PUTIN BIRTHDAY SHOCKER: Video shows moment fire erupted on bridge connecting Crimea to Russia after blast
KYIV, UKRAINE: The blast on Europe's longest bridge, the Kerch Strait road-and-rail bridge that connected the annexed Crimean Peninsula with the Russian mainland, killed three people who were in a nearby car when a fuel tanker exploded on Saturday, October 8. A video showed the exact moment when a part of the bridge, that partially collapsed into the sea, exploded leading to ablaze with sparks splashing down onto the roadway and into the water and later, forming layers of massive black smoke.
The explosion, which was reportedly heard kilometers away, occurred at around 6 am. Russia's National Anti-Terrorism Committee said, as quoted by BBC, "At 06:07 Moscow time today [03:07 GMT], an explosion was set off at a cargo vehicle on the motorway part of the Crimean bridge on the side of the Taman peninsula, which set fire to seven fuel tanks of a train that was en route to the Crimean peninsula. Two motorway sections of the bridge partially collapsed." Even though Russian authorities said that a truck bomb caused the fire but western demolition experts speculated that a missile or water-borne explosives could be the cause, stated NY Post report.
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On Putin's birthday, Kerch bridge connecting occupied #Crimea and #Russia has been detonated with significant damage. pic.twitter.com/vnHO6vTCDt
— Igor Sushko (@igorsushko) October 8, 2022
A new video published online shows significant damage inflicted on the Crimean Bridge following reported explosions in the early morning of Oct. 8.
— The Kyiv Independent (@KyivIndependent) October 8, 2022
The illegally constructed bridge links the Russian-occupied Ukrainian peninsula Crimea with mainland Russia via the Kerch Strait. pic.twitter.com/63EvfqNf3G
'Ukraine's military blew up Putin's precious bridge'
Commenting on the same, Michael Clarke, Sky's security and defense analyst said, "If it was an explosion, it would have gone upwards, not come from underneath - and you can't get that much stuff in a vehicle going over a bridge. Bridges are designed to withstand accidents of that sort. This is either a missile, which would be a missile heavier than the Ukrainian forces are supposed to have, or a special forces operation to sabotage the bridge with explosives underneath. In which case they will be making Hollywood films about this for years to come - because it was a huge victory if it was a special forces operation," reports Sky News. Viktor Kovalenko, a veteran and the man behind UkraineDecoded, said, "Most signs of a precise strike by a powerful missile." "Russia will never admit that Ukraine's military blew up Putin's precious bridge. They keep the narrative that Ukraine can't do anything. That's why Rus. propaganda claims that it was just a car bomb like a random terroristic suicidal act that happens in Russia sometimes," he added.
1/ My hypotheses regarding #CrimeanBridge: This isn't a track-planted bomb as Russian propaganda says. This isn't an SBU operation as the Ukrainian media claim. This isn't a boat-planted bomb delivered under the bridge. Most signs of a precise strike by a powerful missile.
— Viktor Kovalenko (@MrKovalenko) October 8, 2022
Bridge reopens after blast
Despite the explosion, the railway part of the bridge - where oil tankers caught fire - was reopened on the evening of October 8. Russia's foreign ministry published a video, showing cars using the bridge.
The Kerch Strait Bridge, which is a 19 km parallel road-rail bridge, was opened in May 2018 by Russian President Vladimir Putin. It was tagged by Russian media as "the construction of the century". Russian officials previously claimed it was well protected from threats from air, land, or water, states BBC.