Press
Russia suspects a sophisticated plan behind the Crimean bridge attack in 2022. Kiev confirms its involvement – are further attacks planned?
Kerch – Ukraine repeatedly resorts to unconventional means in its defensive battle against the army of Russian leader Vladimir Putin – probably also because of the ongoing shortage of ammunition. Next to 3D printed bombsLike those used in the Ukraine war last year, the Crimean Bridge is also said to have been destroyed with an improvised explosive device, the Ukrainian online newspaper reported Ukrainian Pravda.
The strategically important Kerch Bridge, which connects the Russian mainland with the annexed Crimean Peninsula, has been attacked several times by the Ukrainian military. An explosive attack on October 8, 2022 is now said to have been uncovered and reveals a sophisticated plan. The explosive device that caused serious damage to the bridge was apparently hidden between several rolls of plastic wrap – and had traveled a long time.
Traveling for more than two months – explosive device remained undetected by Russia
The homemade explosive device is said to have been based on solid rocket fuel, according to the Russian daily Kommersant citing investigative materials reported. What is more astonishing than the explosive device itself is how it got to the Crimean Bridge in the first place. Hidden between 22 pallets of polyethylene film, it is said to have initially arrived in Georgia from the Ukrainian city of Odessa. From there he was taken to Armenia, where the cargo was cleared through customs. Accompanying documents were replaced in the meantime.
The pallets were then delivered on a truck across the Georgian-Russian border to Armavir in the Russian Krasnodar region, as the Russian investigations are said to have shown. The explosive device spent the rest of the journey in a Russian truck, the driver of which is said to have known nothing about the plans.
According to the Russian authorities, the Ukrainian backers chose this complex route for a very specific purpose. This was an attempt to divert attention away from the actual goods – obviously a successful tactic.
Ukraine waited for the right time – explosive device detonated on Crimean bridge via GPS
Russia believes that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky ordered the Ukrainian secret service to carry out the attack on the Kerch Bridge, reported Newsweek. He equipped the explosive device with a GPS system, which caused the bomb to explode at a previously determined section of the bridge. This information cannot currently be independently verified.
However, the attack did not fail to have its effect: with an explosive force of around 10 tons of TNT, large parts of the bridge were severely damaged. Two bridge spans collapsed as a result of the explosion and 17 freight tank cars loaded with fuel were damaged. As the daily News reported that at least three people died in the explosion.
Military bloggers fear further attacks by Ukraine on the Crimean Bridge
Kyiv is said to be at the request of Newsweek took responsibility for the attack on the Kerch Bridge. In Russia it is assumed that Ukraine is planning further such actions. The Telegram channel Ryabar, which is said to be in connection with the Russian Defense Ministry, shared similar fears last week.
Accordingly, Ukraine used US decoy missiles to locate Russian air defense systems and radars. The canal suspects that this is preparations for another attack on the strategically important bridge. This could take place before Putin’s formal inauguration as Russia’s president on May 7th. (nhi)