A Russian-built bridge to Crimea was temporarily closed to all traffic on Monday morning, Russian authorities said. There are explosions. Two people would have died, their underage daughter would have been injured. The Russian state news agency TASS reports Monday morning that there is damage to both the road and the railway that also runs over the bridge.
LOOK. Krimbrug closed due to “emergency”
A man and a woman from Belgorod died in the incident, says Vyacheslav Gladkov, the governor of that Russian region. Their minor daughter is said to have suffered minor injuries. “We have all seen the video on the internet of a damaged car with a number plate from Belgorod,” he told Telegram.
The Russian governor of Crimea, Sergei Aksyonov, said only that it was an “emergency situation at the 145th pillar under the bridge”, which connects Crimea with Russia’s Krasnodar region. According to the Russian Ministry of Mobility, there is no damage to the bridge’s pillars, but the roadway is damaged.
“The incident could be a provocation from Moscow,” a spokesman for the Ukrainian army initially said. The president of the Russian-installed parliament of Crimea, on the other hand, points the finger of blame at Ukraine.
Not first time explosions
The 19-kilometre-long Crimean Bridge partially collapsed in October after an explosion that Moscow says was part of an attack by Ukraine. Months later, that country only indirectly admitted to having had something to do with the attack. The bridge is of great importance to Russia because of the supply of Russian troops in Ukraine.
According to the Russian news site RBC, “explosions” were heard on the bridge in the night from Sunday to Monday. A Telegram channel associated with the Wagner Group, according to the Reuters news agency, reports that there have been two attacks on the bridge. Train traffic can now return over the bridge, according to TASS.
Crucial connection
Crimea, a peninsula in the Black Sea, was annexed by Russia in 2014. Despite the tense situation, Crimea, which can only be reached by car or train, remains a popular destination for Russian holidaymakers. Aksyonov called on people to remain calm. Residents and tourists wanting to leave would have to take an alternative route through the Russian-occupied areas of southern Ukraine.
Free unlimited access to Showbytes? Which can!
Log in or create an account and don’t miss a thing of the stars.