Car bomb sparked fire on key Crimean bridge

CRIMEA - OCTOBER 08: A screen grab from a surveillance footage shows flames and smoke rising up after an explosion at the Kerch bridge in the Kerch Strait, Crimea, October 8, 2022. A bridge connecting Crimea to Russia caught fire early Saturday morning causing suspension of traffic as all train services to Crimea temporarily suspended. The Kerch Bridge -- a pair of parallel bridges, one road and one railroad -- is a key supply route for Russia which was built after Crimea's annexation in 2014. Security Camera / Anadolu Agency (Photo by Security Camera / ANADOLU AGENCY / Anadolu Agency via AFP)

A fire sparked by a car bomb has broken out on a key road and rail bridge linking Crimea to Russia, which annexed the territory from Ukraine in 2014, Moscow authorities said Saturday.

“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 cited the national anti-terrorism committee as saying.

The bridge, which was built on the orders of Russian President Vladimir Putin and inaugurated in 2018, was a key transport link for carrying military equipment to Russian soldiers fighting in Ukraine, especially in the south, as well as ferrying troops there.

Russia had maintained the bridge was safe despite the fighting in Ukraine but had threatened Kyiv with reprisals if it was attacked.

Related posts

Russia Takes Control of Vuhledar After Two Years of Ukrainian Defiance

Iranian Missile Strike on Israel Demonstrates Increased Capability for Larger, More Complex Operations

Israel Strengthens Military Presence Along Lebanon Border