New Delhi: Moscow authorities on Saturday said that a fire sparked by a truck bomb broke out on a key road and rail bridge linking Crimea to Russia, leading to the collapse of a section. Russia annexed the territory from Ukraine in 2014.
According to the Associate Press, Russia’s National Anti-Terrorism Committee informed that the truck bomb caused seven railway cars carrying fuel to catch fire, resulting in a “partial collapse of two sections of the bridge.”
"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," Russia's national anti-terrorism committee said as quoted by Russian news agencies cited by news agency AFP.
The bridge was built on the orders of Russian President Vladimir Putin and was inaugurated in 2018.
As per AFP's report, it 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. If the bridge is rendered inoperable, Russia would have to face more challenges to ferry supplies to the peninsula.
According to the AP, Russia’s National Anti-Terrorism Committee informed that the explosion and fire led to the collapse of the two sections of one of the two links of the automobile bridge, while another link was intact. The bridge has train and automobile sections.
The commuter train traffic across the bridge has been suspended until further notice. President Putin was informed about the explosion. He directed for a government panel to be created to deal with the emergency, the AP report mentioned.
Ukraine Has Retaken Nearly 2,500 Sq Km In Its Counteroffensive: Zelenskyy
This comes after Russian forces said that they captured ground in Donetsk in east Ukraine, their first claim of new gains since Kyiv grabbed momentum with a counter-offensive. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Ukraine has retaken nearly 2,500 sq km in its counteroffensive.
"Since the beginning of October, more than (500 square kilometres) have been liberated from Russian occupiers in the Kherson region alone," Zelenskyy announced late Thursday in his nightly address, as quoted by AFP.
The proclaimed wins in the southern region of Kherson were amid a series of Russian defeats undermining the Kremlin's claim of having annexed around 20 per cent of Ukraine.
As for the bridge, Russia had maintained it was safe despite the armed offensive in Ukraine. Moscow had threatened Kyiv with consequences if it was attacked.
More details about the car bomb explosion are awaited.