Crimea Bridge Blasted - Russia Investigates
Ukraine-Russia live news: ‘Truck blast’ damages Crimea bridge
- Moscow says parts of a vital road and rail bridge linking Russia to Crimea have been partially destroyed in a truck explosion in a blow to the Kremlin’s war efforts in Ukraine.
- The Kerch bridge is a key supply line for the Russian troops fighting in eastern Ukraine.
‘Jubilation’ in Ukraine after bridge blast in Russia-annexed Crimea
Al Jazeera’s Rory Challands, reporting from Kyiv, said there is “jubilation” in Ukraine after a blast at a key Crimea bridge that reportedly collapsed parts of it.
“This does strike at Vladimir Putin’s prestige. It does strike Vladimir Putin’s image of control. And I think under the bravado of Ukraine at the moment, there might be some nervousness about what his response might be to this,” he added.
“It also gives the Russians a very big headache when it comes to supplying their southern front in Ukraine because the [Russian] army … at the moment is largely supplied by rail networks and that main railway network for the southern front came through Crimea across the Kerch bridge,” Challands said.
Zaporizhzhia plant disconnected from power supply by shelling: Energoatom
Ukraine’s Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant has lost its connection to external power supply as a result of shelling, Ukraine’s state nuclear company Energoatom says, blaming Russia.
Energoatom added that the plant was now getting power to cover its own needs from its backup diesel generators.
“The diesel generators started automatically. The available supplies of diesel fuel for their operation in this mode will be enough for 10 days,” the company wrote on Telegram.
Moscow opens criminal probe into Crimea bridge blast
Kremlin has said that Russia ordered a commission to be set up to look into the blast, according to Russian news agencies.
Russia’s powerful investigative committee opened a criminal probe into the explosion and sent detectives to the scene, saying a truck exploded “on the automobile part of the Crimean bridge from the side of the Taman Peninsula”.
This “caused seven fuel tanks to ignite on a train heading towards the Crimea Peninsula. As a result, two lanes partially collapsed.”
While officials in Moscow stopped short of blaming Kyiv, an official in Russian-installed Crimea pointed the finger at “Ukrainian vandals”.
Ukraine says Crimea bridge ‘must be destroyed’ following damage
A Ukrainian presidential adviser has said on Twitter that a bridge connecting the Russian mainland to the occupied Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea must be destroyed after a reported explosion.
He also called the incident “the beginning” but not directly claiming Ukrainian responsibility.
“Everything illegal must be destroyed, everything stolen must be returned to Ukraine, everything occupied by Russia must be expelled,” Mykhailo Podolyak wrote.
Moscow: Truck blast collapses parts of Crimea bridge
Al Jazeera’s Mohamed Vall, reporting from Moscow, says that Russia’s anti-terrorism committee confirmed that there was a truck explosion on a road parallel to the bridge at 6am local time.
“The committee said that the explosion caused two sections of the bridge to collapse and a train was on fire,” he also said, adding that the incident is seen as “a terrorist act” and “an act of war” in Russia.
“Russians are still trying to make sense of what happened,” Vall said, adding that the bridge is a key supply line between mainland Russia and Crimea.
Russia might have to heavily rely on ferries for transportation to Crimea after the incident, Vall also said.
Our correspondent said that the incident was a big blow to the Russia’s economic and military logistical connection with Crimea.
US ammunition supplies dwindle as Ukraine war drains stockpiles: Analysis
The United States will soon be unable to provide Ukraine with certain types of ammunition essential to Kyiv’s battle against Russia’s invasion, as supplies are being used up faster than they can be replaced.
Washington has become by far the largest supplier of arms to Ukraine since Russia launched the invasion on February 24, with more than $16.8bn in military assistance provided since that date.
But US stockpiles of some equipment are “reaching the minimum levels needed for war plans and training,” and restocking to pre-invasion levels could take years, Mark Cancian of the Center for Strategic and International Studies wrote in a recent analysis.
Washington is “learning lessons” from the conflict about ammunition needs in a great power war, which are “far greater” than expected, a US military official acknowledged on condition of anonymity, according to the AFP news agency.
Fuel tank on fire at Kerch bridge in Crimea: Russian state media
A fuel tank is on fire on the Kerch bridge in Crimea, Russia’s RIA state news agency has reported, while Ukraine’s media reports an explosion.
“According to preliminary information a fuel tank on fire on one of the sections of the Crimean bridge, the shipping arches are not damaged,” RIA reported citing a local official.
Traffic on the bridge has been suspended.
Ukraine’s media says that a blast took place on the bridge at about 6am (03:00 GMT).
Reports cannot independently be verified.
Putin orders seizure of ExxonMobil-led oil and gas project
Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a decree that establishes a new operator for the ExxonMobil Corp-led Sakhalin-1 oil and gas project in Russia’s Far East.
Putin’s move affects ExxonMobil’s largest investment in Russia and gives the Russian government authority to decide whether foreign shareholders can retain stakes in the project.
Exxon holds a 30 percent operator stake in Sakhalin-1, with Russian company Rosneft, India’s ONGC Videsh and Japan’s Sodeco as partners.
Comments
Post a Comment