Moscow –
Russian President Vladimir Putin call attack Ukraine on the Kerch Bridge as a terrorist attack. The main bridge connects the incorporated Crimea peninsula to the Russian mainland and is of immense strategic and symbolic importance to Moscow.
“Tonight another terrorist attack took place on that bridge. As a result of the terrorist attack, the highways on several spans of the Crimea bridge were seriously damaged. As a result, car and train traffic was temporarily stopped,” Putin told a meeting with officials, as reported by CNN, Tuesday (18/7/2023).
Putin asked his country’s authorities, including the FSB, to investigate the incident and called for measures to secure the strategically important transport facilities from future attacks.
“It is important to comprehensively assess the damage caused and start restoration work as soon as possible,” he said.
Putin said that there would be a Russian response to the attack. “The Ministry of Defense is preparing relevant proposals,” Putin said.
Putin also claimed there was no military interest in destroying the bridge.
“This is an unreasonable crime from an insignificant point of view because the Crimean bridge has long been disused for military transport and brutal since innocent civilians were killed,” he stressed.
Deputy Prime Minister of Russia, Marat Khusnullin, said that the straight bridge struts for Kerch were not damaged by the explosion. He claimed divers were completing inspections of the bridge and a decision on possibly launching car traffic would be made within two hours.
Early Monday, a source from the Ukrainian security service (SBU) said that the attack on the Crimea Bridge was a joint operation between the SBU and the Ukrainian navy. The source spoke on condition of anonymity because they had not received permission to speak on the tape.
As is known, an explosion rocked the Crimea bridge that connects the region in eastern Ukraine with mainland Russia. At least two people were killed and a girl was seriously injured by the explosion that rocked the bridge which was inaugurated directly by President Vladimir Putin.
Photos taken by Reuters from the scene show no traffic on the 19-kilometre stretch of highway that connects Crimea — which the Kremlin annexed from Ukraine in 2014 — with Russia.
In addition to the highway, there is also a railroad track on the bridge. Unverified satellite imagery showed the metal railing on the bridge bent, with debris strewn about and a wrecked car visible on the bridge.
(fas/fas)
2023-07-17 18:43:06
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