Moscow: A fierce fire broke out on the bridge connecting the autonomous province of Ukraine (Crimea) with Russia (Russia). After the fire, smoke and flames started flying in the sky. Within moments, a part of the bridge fell into the sea. A video of this incident has surfaced. Russian official blames Ukraine for Crimea bridge attack. Vladimir Konstantinov, head of the Russian-backed parliament in Crimea, claimed the bridge was only partially damaged and would be repaired soon. A local Russian official said the bridge was closed to traffic after what appeared to be a fuel storage tank caught fire.
A few hours ago Kharkiv in eastern Ukraine was rocked by a bomb blast
Pro-Russian media reported on Saturday that a massive fire broke out on a bridge connecting the Russian mainland and its controlled Crimean peninsula. A few hours ago, the city of Kharkiv in eastern Ukraine was rocked by powerful bomb blasts. Local Russian official Oleg Kryuchkov was quoted by RIA Novosti and the Tass news agency as saying that what appeared to be a fuel storage tank caught fire, after which traffic on the bridge was stopped. The purported pictures of the incident which have surfaced on social media show a massive fire on the bridge, due to which the bridge is expected to be heavily damaged. Reports and photographs of the incident could not be immediately verified.
Russia seized Crimea from Ukraine in 2014
Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine in 2014 in violation of international law and then built the bridge. The incident happened hours after explosions in the eastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv early Saturday morning. Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov said on Telegram that the early morning explosions were the result of a missile attack in the center of the city. He said the explosions set fire to a medical institute and a non-residential building in the city. There was no immediate information on casualties.
The bridge was opened in 2018
The bridge was opened in 2018, four years after Moscow annexed Crimea. The bridge was built to connect the peninsula to Russia’s transportation network. The 19-kilometre (11.8 mi) long bridge, starting in the Kerch Strait and connecting Crimea to the Russian mainland, includes railway and transport sections. It was fully operational in 2020. According to some media reports, the Crimea bridge is the main target of Ukrainian forces attacking Russian logistics.