Officials in Moscow stopped short of blaming Kyiv but a Russian-installed official in Crimea pointed the finger at "Ukrainian vandals." The Kremlin's spokesman said Putin had ordered a commission to be set up to look into the blast. "Crimea, the bridge, the beginning," he wrote.īut in a later statement, he appeared to suggest Moscow had a hand in the blast, noting the truck that detonated "entered the bridge from the Russian side". Zelensky's adviser Mykhailo Podolyak posted a picture on Twitter of a long section of the bridge half-submerged. While some in Moscow hinted at Ukrainian "terrorism", Russian state media continued to call it an "emergency situation". President Vladimir Putin personally inaugurated the structure in 2018 - even driving a truck across it - and Moscow had maintained the link was safe despite the fighting.
The bridge is logistically crucial for Moscow - a vital transport link for carrying military equipment to Russian soldiers fighting in Ukraine. Dramatic footage showed it burning and a road section plunging into the water.īut Zelensky did not directly mention it in his nightly address and officials made no claim of responsibility.įollowing the blast, the bodies of an unidentified man and a woman were pulled out of the water, probably passengers in a car driving near the exploded truck, Moscow said.Īuthorities had identified the owner of the truck as a resident of Russia's southern Krasnodar region and said his home was being searched. The 19-kilometre (12-mile) bridge was attacked at dawn on Saturday, sparking celebrations from Ukrainians and others on social media. Russia on Saturday said traffic had resumed over the strategic link, a symbol of the Kremlin's 2014 annexation of Crimea. "First results" of Russia's inspection of the bridge were due on Sunday, he added.
They will start work from six in the morning," Russian Deputy Prime Minister Marat Khusnullin announced. "We are ordering the examination by divers. Zelensky denounced the "merciless strikes on peaceful people" and residential buildings as "absolute evil" perpetrated by "savages and terrorists".ĭivers were to inspect the waters beneath the giant Crimea bridge on Sunday, a day after a truck bomb ignited a massive fire on the road and rail link, killing three people. Regional official Oleksandr Starukh posted pictures of heavily damaged apartment blocks on Telegram and said a rescue operation had been launched to find victims under the rubble. Ukrainian officials said 13 people had died and 49 people, including six children, were in hospital after Russian missiles again hit Zaporizhzhia.Īt least 17 people, including a child, died when seven Russian missiles hit the centre of the industrial city earlier this week.
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