What happened?
Two people have died on the Kertch Bridge, which connects Russia to Crimea, according to Russian authorities. So far there has been no attack, but there are unverified reports of explosions, the BBC writes.
The head of the Russian regional administration of Crimea. Sergey Aksyonov reported on his Telegram channel at four in the morning that there had been an “emergency” on the (mainland) Russian side of the bridge: “The law enforcement agencies and all relevant services are on duty.”
Aksyonov called on the population not to drive over the bridge and to use alternative land routes.
Later, the governor of the seaside Russian province of Belgorod, Vyacheslav Gladkov, also reported via Telegram. He stated that the Parents of a nine-year-old girl had died in the “emergency”. The child was taken to hospital with minor injuries.
According to the Russian Ministry of Transport, in the “emergency situation”, only the roadway was damaged, but not the bridge’s foundations or girders.
Video recordings of the night are circulating online, showing first shots from anti-aircraft guns and then explosions. Until now, this video material could not be independently verified.
How are you now?
In the meantime (08:50 Swiss time) the railway is in any case running over the Crimean Bridge again, as video recordings confirm.
The state-affiliated Russian newspaper “RIA Novosti” reported via Telegram that the exit from the bridge in Crimea itself was clear, while the ramp towards Russia remain blocked.
The ferry from Kerch is now sailing again, according to RIA. Crimea is a popular holiday destination for Russians: up to 20,000 holidaymakers are expected in the coming days. According to the Russian Tourist Association, tourists arriving late due to the “emergency” should receive up to 20,000 rubles, or 190 francs, in compensation.
What do the warring parties say?
The Russian (official) side initially consistently spoke of an “emergency”. However, the consensus on pro-Russian Telegram channels is that the “emergency” was preceded by a Ukrainian attack.
This was announced shortly after 9 a.m. Swiss time Russian Anti-Terrorism Commissionthat the Crimean bridge was attacked at 03:05 (local time) by two Ukrainian unmanned ground vehicles.
There is no official comment on the events from the Ukrainian side. Only the head of the Ukrainian military intelligence service HUR, Kirill Budanov, noted that the Kerch bridge was a “superfluous construction”. That reports the Ukrainian “KyivPost” on Twitter.
The Ukrainian online newspaper “RBC Ukraine” reported that, citing “internal sources”, that the Ukrainian secret service SBU was behind the attack.
The newspaper reports that Vasyl Malyuk, the head of the SBU, previously stated that the Kerch Bridge was a legitimate target.
(cpf, with material from sda)
Soource :Watson
I am Amelia James, a passionate journalist with a deep-rooted interest in current affairs. I have more than five years of experience in the media industry, working both as an author and editor for 24 Instant News. My main focus lies in international news, particularly regional conflicts and political issues around the world.
