by Max Hunder and Jonathan Landay
KYIV (Reuters) – A truck explosion on Saturday severely damaged the Kerch bridge that connects Crimea to Russia, a vital supply line for Russian forces to hold occupied southern Ukraine.
This explosion, which led to the collapse of certain sections of the bridge, delighted many Ukrainian representatives, even if no one has yet claimed responsibility for the incident. Russia had not yet named a manager.
Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered a few hours after this explosion a reinforcement of security around the Crimean bridge as well as the electricity and natural gas supply infrastructures of the peninsula.
He also called for a commission to be set up to investigate the incident.
Russian officials said three people were killed, probably the occupants of a car driving near the truck that exploded.
Seven fuel tank cars on a 59-car train heading for the peninsula on the upper level of the bridge also caught fire.
About ten hours after the explosion, road traffic resumed in a limited way and the Russian Ministry of Transport authorized the restarting of rail traffic.
Russian Deputy Prime Minister Marat Khousnoullin for his part signed an order for the immediate dismantling of the collapsed part of the bridge, according to national news agencies.
Divers are due to start examining the damage from 6 a.m. (0300 GMT) on Sunday, the agencies added.
EXPLOSION ON THE AFTER DAY OF PUTIN’S 70TH BIRTHDAY
Russia annexed Crimea in 2014 and the 19 km long Kerch Bridge, which connects it to the Russian transport network, was inaugurated with great fanfare four years later by Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The bridge is now a major gateway for Russian forces who have taken control of much of the Kherson region in southern Ukraine.
The outburst, which occurred the day after the Russian president’s 70th birthday, comes at a time when Russia is suffering numerous setbacks on the battlefield. The incident could further undermine the credibility of the Kremlin, which is trying to reassure its population about the course of the conflict.
Mockingly, the head of Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council, Oleksiy Danilov, posted a video of the burning bridge on social media in which Marilyn Monroe’s voice is heard singing “Happy Birthday, Mr. President!” (Happy birthday, Mr. President).
Since the beginning of the conflict, on February 24, Ukrainian officials have regularly alluded to their desire to destroy the Kerch bridge, considered in Ukraine as a symbol of the occupation of Crimea by Russia.
The Russian Defense Ministry nevertheless said that the armed forces in southern Ukraine would be able to be “fully supplied” by existing land and sea routes.
For Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova, Kyiv’s reaction to the event “testifies to its terrorist nature”.
THE BEGINNING”
According to the Russian anti-terrorist services, a freight truck exploded around 6:07 a.m. (03:07 GMT) near a train traveling on the upper deck. Seven tank cars caught fire.
Two sections of the bridge collapsed as a result of the fire but the arches under which navigation takes place were not damaged, they added.
Without claiming any responsibility for the incident, an adviser to Ukrainian President Volodimir Zelenskiy said on Twitter that the fire was “the start” of something.
“Everything illegal must be destroyed, everything stolen must be recovered by Ukraine, all regions occupied by Russia must be liberated,” wrote Mykhailo Podolyak.
The Moscow-appointed administrator of the Kherson region, Kirill Stremousov, said the event would “not affect army supplies much” but that there would be logistical problems for Crimea.
Crimea’s Russian governor, Sergei Aksyonov, said in a video that the region has enough fuel and food.
“We have over a month’s worth of fuel and over two months’ worth of food,” he said.
However, Russia’s Energy Ministry said Crimea only had 15 days of fuel.
The Russian governor of Sevastopol, which has a separate territorial status from Crimea, also sought to reassure residents.
“We are not cut off from the mainland!” Mikhail Razvozzhayev said on Telegram. “Keep calm. Don’t panic.”
(Reporting by Reuters; French version Caroline Pailliez and Claude Chendjou)