Explosion damages the Kerch bridge that connects Russia to Crimea

• A truck explosion partially destroyed the main bridge connecting the Crimean peninsula with mainland Russia.
• It jeopardized a vital supply line for Russian troops fighting in Ukraine.
• The explosion led to the ignition of seven fuel tanks.

According to Russian media, a truck explosion partially destroyed the main bridge connecting the Crimean peninsula with mainland Russia, jeopardizing a vital supply line for Russian troops fighting in Ukraine.

The country’s investigative committee announced on Saturday that it has “opened a criminal case in connection with the event on the Crimean bridge,” adding that “a truck was blown up.” The speaker of Russia’s lower house of parliament, the Duma, branded it “an act of war.”

According to early reports, a truck was blown up this morning on the roadway portion of the Crimean bridge from the Taman Peninsula, which led to the ignition of seven fuel tanks on a train moving toward the Crimea peninsula.

Two lanes partially collapsed as a result.

To the Russians, it is “a tremendous blow.”

The explosion on the Kerch bridge, according to Al Jazeera’s Mohamad Vall, who was reporting from Moscow, dealt the Russians a “huge setback.”

The bridge is a crucial supply route between Russia’s mainland and Crimea, according to Vall, who also stated that “Russians are still trying to make sense of what transpired.”

Al Jazeera’s Rory Challands claimed there was “jubilation” in Ukraine following the incident while reporting from Kyiv, the capital city.

“This definitely hurts Vladimir Putin’s reputation. It certainly undermines Vladimir Putin’s sense of authority. And I believe that, despite Ukraine’s current swagger, there may be some trepidation about his potential response to this.

The [Russian] army is currently predominantly supplied by rail networks, and the main railway network for the southern front came through Crimea across the Kerch bridge, Challands added. This presents a major logistical challenge for the Russians when it comes to feeding their southern front in Ukraine.

The only other rail track, according to him, is currently along the Sea of Azov’s northern shore, which is between 30 and 40 kilometers from the front lines.

After Moscow illegally invaded Crimea from Ukraine in 2014, Russian President Vladimir Putin launched the crucial road and rail bridge in 2018.

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