Crimea Bridge Opens After Huge Fire – But Who’s Responsible? – An explosion occurred on the Kerch Bridge, a structure that began construction in February 2016 that links Russia to the annexed Crimean peninsula, on Saturday morning. The explosion caused the partial collapse of the bridge, and both photographs and videos shared online appeared to show the bridge as well as a train on fire.
One section of the parallel road bridge appeared to collapse into the water beneath it.
Security camera footage from the bridge also shows the exact moment the explosion occurs. In the video, cars and trucks can be seen traveling in both directions before a huge fireball instantly erupts across the road. At least one car can be seen getting caught in the blast.
The bridge is a key supply route for the Russians. It features two parallel bridges, one for trains and one that features a four-lane road for vehicles.
Bridge Reopens on Saturday
The bridge reopened on Saturday evening after local authorities raced to reopen at least one lane on the bridge for light traffic.
The reopening of the bridge was confirmed by the Kremlin-backed leader of the Crimean peninsula on Saturday, who revealed that security measures have been implemented on the bridge to ensure that passing vehicles do not carry weapons or explosives.
“Road traffic has begun on the Crimea bridge,” Sergei Aksyonov said on Telegram, adding that “full inspection procedures” had been implemented for all cars and buses crossing the bridge.
Video footage shared on social media also appeared to show the first test train crossing the bridge after authorities put out the fire and prepared the bridge to reopen.
Who Is Responsible?
According to a former British army explosives expert who spoke to the BBC, the explosion was a “masterpiece of clandestine sabotage” and “a well-planned attack from below may have been the cause.”
Ukrainian officials have stayed relatively silent on the incident, but Moscow announced on Saturday that the fire was caused by a truck explosion.
“Today at 6:07 am (0307 GMT) on the road traffic side of the Crimean bridge … a car bomb exploded, setting fire to seven oil tankers being carried by rail to Crimea,” Russian news agencies also revealed.
Analysts also revealed how the explosion appeared to occur above the bridge, based on the burn marks and explosive residue seen above the road and not below.
It is not known whether the car bomb was planted by the Ukrainian military, pro-Kyiv saboteurs in Crimea, or a lone actor – but what we do know is that a disruption to the bridge is a significant loss for Russian forces at this pivotal time in the war.
Jack Buckby is a British author, counter-extremism researcher, and journalist based in New York. Reporting on the U.K., Europe, and the U.S., he works to analyze and understand left-wing and right-wing radicalization, and reports on Western governments’ approaches to the pressing issues of today. His books and research papers explore these themes and propose pragmatic solutions to our increasingly polarized society.
