Day 227 ~ The Kerch Bridge in Crimea Is Damaged
A lorry from Russia into Ukraine exploded on the bridge
The big news of the day is that an explosion occurred on the Kerch Bridge, which joins Russia to Ukraine. The bridge was illegally built four years ago in 2018, and stretches 12 miles.
Around 6.07 am, a truck exploded en route from Russia to Ukraine, three people died in a car that was nearby, and the fire spread to 7 oil tankers on the railway line that ignited.
Sections of the bridge have collapsed and parts have been damaged. Early reports said the bridge would not reopen until the end of October, but by the afternoon 4 pm, parts of the bridge were reopened–how safe it is, who knows?
The news is the reactions from both sides—Ukraine has made no secret of the fact that it intends to reclaim Crimea, and that Ukrainians loathe the bridge. Russia has said very little, except to announce that the bridge was partly reopened around 6pm, and there will an investigation into the incident.
The chances of the Ukrainian troops being behind the Kerch Bridge incident appear to high, given that the Ukrainian Post Office released stamps depicting an explosion on the Kerch Bridge a few hours afterwards
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Day 227 (8 October)
Ukraine has previously stated that the Kerch Bridge was a legitimate military target as it is a supply route for Russian weapons and troops. They have not admitted responsibility, but compared the incident to the sinking of the Moskva. The fall of the Kerch Bridge is on a par, as they are symbols of Russian dominance that have been taken down.
Naturally, the Russians will blame the Ukrainians for the explosion, and have claimed that the damage is minor and that it won’t take long to repair. Russian repair crews are working overnight to make the bridge safe, and are using test trains across the damaged sections of the bridge. Ukraine suggests that Russians that are anti-Kremlin are behind the explosion.
After the Nobel Peace Prize being awarded to three parties from Belarus, Russia, and Ukraine, it has not spurred any interest in peace talks. Whether the incident on the Kerch Bridge was planned or not, talks will not bring the dead back to life or rebuild the damaged buildings. The world is unanimous in that Russia must leave Ukraine and not return for the war to end. Russia will not do that voluntarily, which means they must be forced to leave.
The Ukrainians counteroffensive continues as more settlements are being liberated. The Russians are regrouping after reports of Russian troops retreating. A new chief, General Sergei Surovikin has been appointed the overall commander for all Russian troops.
The Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant is still being fought over, as Russia claims they have seized it as state property, while the IAEA still flounder around not doing a great deal to help matters. It’s not as if this was not expected as Russia had threatened it, and Ukraine asked the UN to intervene. What this does show is how useless and powerless the UN is. The last reactor has been damaged, and the power plant is being run on back-up energy that can last up to 10 days.
The EU can issue more statements condemning Russia and more statements to tell them to withdraw and leave, but what is the use as the statements do nothing and the Russians won’t listen. Like many, I find the inaction irritating and silly statements simply show that these alliances have no influence or power when it is needed.
Social media comments on blowing up the bridge going from Russia into Crimea are referring to it as a birthday gift to Putin that he'll recall every birthday he celebrates. 😁😂🤣 one Russian commentator referred to the talk of nuclear weapons as 'sabre rattling', I hope he's right; nonetheless many are stating that this is a 'dangerous phase'. It is also being said that within Russia it isn't Putin who is being criticised, but the 'underlings' or military being held responsible for the defeats.