Foreign

Ukraine : Explosion Forces Over 2,000 Residents out of Crimea Depot

By Web News 363

More than 2,000 residents are being evacuated from four villages in Russian-occupied Crimea after a fire that triggered hours of explosions at a nearby ammunition depot.

Russian-installed officials also shut a stretch of the motorway that crosses the southern half of the peninsula.

They did not explain the cause of the fire at a military training ground near the city of Staryi Krim.

But unconfirmed reports on social media spoke of three Ukrainian strikes.

The overnight explosions coincided with a heavy Russian missile and drone attack that officials said was largely targeted at Ukraine’s southern city of Odesa.

Critical infrastructure and military facilities were attacked by several waves of cruise missiles and Iranian-made drones launched from the Black Sea, Crimea and southern Russia, said Ukraine’s air force.

Although 37 Russian missiles and drones were shot down, a number did penetrate Ukrainian defences. Officials in Odesa said a number of people were wounded and several flats were damaged. A grain and fuel terminal at the port were hit along with two warehouses including one described as housing fireworks.

It was the second night in a row that Odesa was targeted, in attacks linked to Russia’s withdrawal from an international deal enabling grain and fertiliser to be exported safely across the Black Sea.

Port fuel facilities were damaged in the earlier attacks on Odesa, which is a key hub for Ukraine’s grain exports.

Russia had called its attack on Odesa a “mass revenge strike” for an attack on the Russian-built bridge over the Kerch strait linking Crimea to Russia. Seaborne drones have been blamed for Monday’s bridge strike that knocked out a section of bridge and killed a Russian couple.

The fire at a munitions depot in Crimea on Wednesday closed a 12km (7.5-mile) section of the Tavrida highway that links the cities of Simferopol and Sevastopol to the bridge. Construction of the road by Russia’s occupation authorities began in 2017.

A series of explosions were heard in the area from around 04:30 (01:30 GMT) on Wednesday.

Russia’s appointee-boss in Crimea, Sergei Aksyonov, said the cause of the fire at the military range was being investigated but that no-one was hurt.

He said four settlements housing some 2,200 people close to the range in Crimea’s Kirovskyi district were being evacuated.

BBC / Titilayo Kupoliyi

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Foreign

Explosion: Crimea Bridge Partly Reopens 

By Web News 951

Light traffic has resumed on Russia’s only bridge to Crimea, hours after a huge blast brought down sections of the roadway.

According to investigations, the blast on Europe’s longest bridge – a symbol of Russia’s annexation of the peninsula from Ukraine in 2014 – killed three people.

Russian officials claimed that, the victims were in a nearby car when a lorry blew up,as the railway part of the bridge – where oil tankers caught fire – has also apparently reopened.

On Saturday evening, Russia’s foreign ministry published a video, seemingly showing cars using the bridge.

The rail and road crossing was opened in 2018 and is a key supply route for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

An adviser to Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky, Mykhailo Podolyak, did not directly claim Ukrainian responsibility but wrote: “Crimea, the bridge, the beginning.

“Everything illegal must be destroyed, everything stolen must be returned to Ukraine, everything occupied by Russia must be expelled.”

Ukraine’s defence ministry compared the bridge explosion to the sinking of Russia’s Moskva missile cruiser in April.

“Two notorious symbols of Russian power in Ukrainian Crimea have gone down,” it tweeted. “What’s next in line?”

The Ukrainian government itself simply tweeted: “Sick burn.”

Russia’s foreign ministry said: “The Kiev regime’s reaction towards destruction of civilian infrastructure is a testament to its terrorist nature.”It is hard to exaggerate the significance, and symbolism, of seeing the bridge – which was opened by President Putin – on fire.

Russia has used the bridge to move military equipment, ammunition, and personnel from Russia to battlefields in southern Ukraine.

As such, Ukrainian authorities said it was a legitimate target, as they vow to retake the peninsula.

Any attack on Crimea, where the Russian army has a massive presence, will be seen as another massive humiliation for the Kremlin.

The bridge is particularly hated by Ukrainians. Social media in Ukraine erupted in celebration on seeing the fire – one day after Russian President Vladimir Putin turned 70.

Local authorities in Crimea organised a ferry service between the Russian mainland and the peninsula, for heavier vehicles that can’t use the partially-reopened bridge.

Russia’s National Anti-Terrorism Committee said: “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.”

Crimean parliamentary speaker Vladimir Konstantinov blamed the explosion on “Ukrainian vandals, who have finally managed to reach their bloody hands to the Crimean bridge”.

Russian President Vladimir Putin was briefed about the “emergency” on the bridge and ordered a government inquiry, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. A criminal investigation is also under way.

The 19km, 12-miles bridge across the Kerch Strait, which cost £2.7bn to build, was opened four years after Moscow illegally annexed Crimea.

It was hailed by Russian media as “the construction of the century”. Russian officials previously claimed it was well protected from threats from air, land or water.

The crossing is more than 100 miles from Ukrainian-held territory. One explosives expert said, the fire was probably not caused by a missile.

Putin said, “The lack of obvious blast / fragmentation damage on the road surface suggests that, an air-delivered weapon was not used” .

He said it was possible that “a well-planned attack from below may have been the cause”.

“I suspect explosives on the road bridge and train deck were initiated near simultaneously using coded radio command,” he added.

Kyiv has the momentum in this conflict. The army has reclaimed large swathes of territory, forcing Russian troops to abandon long-held positions.

Amid the losses, Moscow has begun a chaotic military mobilisation – which led to rare anti-war protests in Russia, and a huge exodus of military-age men.

Last month, Ukraine claimed responsibility for a series of air strikes on Crimea – including an attack on Russia’s Saky military base.

Culled /Taiwo Akinola

Foreign

Huge Blaze Ruptures Crimea-Russia Bridge

By Web News 389

A large fire on the only crossing between the occupied Crimean peninsula and Russia was caused by a lorry explosion, Russian officials say.

A blast on the road section led to oil tankers on the rail section catching fire, before the road collapsed.

Crimea was annexed in 2014 by Russia, which now uses the bridge to move military equipment into Ukraine.

The official Twitter account of the Ukraine government responded to the fire by tweeting: “Sick burn.”

An adviser to Ukraine’s President Zelensky, Mykhailo Podolyak, called the damage a “beginning” – but did not directly claim Ukrainian responsibility.

“Everything illegal must be destroyed, everything stolen must be returned to Ukraine, everything occupied by Russia must be expelled,” he tweeted.

Meanwhile, the Ukraine defence ministry compared the bridge explosion to the sinking of Russia’s Moskva missile cruiser in April.

“Two notorious symbols of Russian power in Ukrainian Crimea have gone down,” it tweeted. “What’s next in line?”

It is hard to exaggerate the significance, and symbolism, of seeing the bridge on fire. Opened by President Putin in 2018, it was meant to symbolise that Crimea was Russian.

Russia has used the bridge to move military equipment, ammunition, and personnel from Russia to battlefields in southern Ukraine.

As such, Ukrainian authorities said it was a legitimate target, as they vow to retake the peninsula.

Any attack on Crimea, where the Russian army has a massive presence, will be seen as another massive humiliation for the Kremlin.

The bridge is particularly hated by Ukrainians. Social media in Ukraine erupted in celebration on seeing the fire – one day after Russian President Vladimir Putin turned 70.

Road and rail traffic across the bridge has been suspended. Local authorities in Crimea say they will organise a ferry service between the Russian mainland and the peninsula.

Russia’s National Anti-Terrorism Committee said: “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.”

Crimean parliamentary speaker Vladimir Konstantinov blamed the explosion on “Ukrainian vandals, who have finally managed to reach their bloody hands to the Crimean bridge”.

He added the damage to the bridge would be “promptly restored since it is not of a serious nature”.

President Putin has been briefed about the “emergency” on the bridge and has ordered a government inquiry, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, in comments quoted by Interfax news agency.

A criminal investigation is also underway.

The 19km (12-mile) bridge across the Kerch Strait, which cost £2.7bn to build, was opened by President Putin four years after Moscow illegally annexed Crimea.

It is the longest bridge in Europe, and was hailed by Russian media as “the construction of the century”. Russian officials previously claimed it was well protected from threats from air, land or water.

The crossing is more than 100 miles from Ukrainian-held territory. One explosives expert told the BBC the fire was probably not caused by a missile.

“The lack of obvious blast/fragmentation damage on the road surface suggests that an air-delivered weapon was not used,” he said.

He said it was possible that “a well-planned attack from below may have been the cause”.

“I suspect explosives on the road bridge and train deck were initiated near simultaneously using coded radio command,” he added.

Ukraine claimed responsibility last month for a series of air strikes on Crimea over the summer, including an attack on Russia’s Saky military base.

Kyiv has momentum in this conflict. The army has reclaimed large swathes of territory, forcing Russian troops to abandon long-held positions.

Amid the losses, Moscow has begun a chaotic military mobilisation – which led to rare anti-war protests in Russia, and a huge exodus of military-age men.

On Russian TV talk shows, presenters and studio guests have been expressing increasing doom and gloom about the situation.

BBC/Simeon Ugbodovon