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| Version 3 | Version 4 |
|---|---|
| Crimea bridge: Putin accuses Ukraine of 'terrorism' | Crimea bridge: Putin accuses Ukraine of 'terrorism' |
| (5 months later) | |
| Watch: The moment explosion hits Crimea bridge | Watch: The moment explosion hits Crimea bridge |
| Watch: The moment explosion hits Crimea bridge | Watch: The moment explosion hits Crimea bridge |
| Russian President Vladimir Putin has accused Ukraine of attacking the bridge to Russian-annexed Crimea, saying that it was an "act of terrorism". | Russian President Vladimir Putin has accused Ukraine of attacking the bridge to Russian-annexed Crimea, saying that it was an "act of terrorism". |
| President Putin said Ukraine's intelligence forces had aimed to destroy a critically important piece of Russia's civil infrastructure. | President Putin said Ukraine's intelligence forces had aimed to destroy a critically important piece of Russia's civil infrastructure. |
| He was speaking at a meeting with the head of the Investigative Committee of Russia, Alexander Bastrykin. | He was speaking at a meeting with the head of the Investigative Committee of Russia, Alexander Bastrykin. |
| Officials say three people were killed in the blast on the bridge. | Officials say three people were killed in the blast on the bridge. |
| Excitement and fear in Ukraine after bridge blast | Excitement and fear in Ukraine after bridge blast |
| The victims were in a nearby car when a lorry blew up, Russian officials say. | The victims were in a nearby car when a lorry blew up, Russian officials say. |
| "There is no doubt, this is an act of terrorism aimed at destroying Russia's critical civilian infrastructure," Mr Putin said. | "There is no doubt, this is an act of terrorism aimed at destroying Russia's critical civilian infrastructure," Mr Putin said. |
| "Its authors, perpetrators and beneficiaries are the security services of Ukraine." | "Its authors, perpetrators and beneficiaries are the security services of Ukraine." |
| Mr Bastrykin said that citizens of Russia and some foreign states had aided preparations for the attack. | Mr Bastrykin said that citizens of Russia and some foreign states had aided preparations for the attack. |
| According to Mr Bastrykin, investigators have established that the truck which they say blew up travelled through Bulgaria, Georgia, Armenia, North Ossetia and Krasnodar Territory. | According to Mr Bastrykin, investigators have established that the truck which they say blew up travelled through Bulgaria, Georgia, Armenia, North Ossetia and Krasnodar Territory. |
| He has ordered an investigation into the incident which brought down sections of the roadway. | He has ordered an investigation into the incident which brought down sections of the roadway. |
| Ukrainian officials have not indicated that their forces were behind the attack. | Ukrainian officials have not indicated that their forces were behind the attack. |
| But an adviser to Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky, Mykhailo Podolyak, denied Mr Putin's accusation. | But an adviser to Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky, Mykhailo Podolyak, denied Mr Putin's accusation. |
| He wrote that there is "only one terrorist state here" and that the "whole world knows who it is". | He wrote that there is "only one terrorist state here" and that the "whole world knows who it is". |
| "Does Putin accuse Ukraine of terrorism? It looks too cynical even for Russia," he said. | "Does Putin accuse Ukraine of terrorism? It looks too cynical even for Russia," he said. |
| On Saturday, President Volodymyr Zelensky acknowledged the incident in his nightly address, saying: "Today was not a bad day and mostly sunny on our state's territory." | On Saturday, President Volodymyr Zelensky acknowledged the incident in his nightly address, saying: "Today was not a bad day and mostly sunny on our state's territory." |
| "Unfortunately, it was cloudy in Crimea. Although it was also warm," he added. | "Unfortunately, it was cloudy in Crimea. Although it was also warm," he added. |
| Russian authorities partially re-opened the roadway part of the bridge hours after the attack but for light traffic only. | Russian authorities partially re-opened the roadway part of the bridge hours after the attack but for light traffic only. |
| The railway part of the bridge - where oil tankers caught fire - has also reopened. | The railway part of the bridge - where oil tankers caught fire - has also reopened. |
| The 19km (12-mile) bridge, the longest in Europe, is an important supply route for Russian forces fighting in Ukraine. | The 19km (12-mile) bridge, the longest in Europe, is an important supply route for Russian forces fighting in Ukraine. |
| Russia has used the bridge to move military equipment, ammunition, and personnel from Russia to battlefields in southern Ukraine. | Russia has used the bridge to move military equipment, ammunition, and personnel from Russia to battlefields in southern Ukraine. |
| It was opened by Mr Putin in 2018, four years after Russia's annexation of Crimea. | It was opened by Mr Putin in 2018, four years after Russia's annexation of Crimea. |
| Security camera footage released on social media showed a truck - allegedly from the Russian city of Krasnodar, an hour's drive from the crossing - moving west across the bridge at the time of the explosion. | Security camera footage released on social media showed a truck - allegedly from the Russian city of Krasnodar, an hour's drive from the crossing - moving west across the bridge at the time of the explosion. |
| The footage shows a huge fireball erupting just behind - and to one side - of the truck as it begins to climb an elevated section of the bridge. | The footage shows a huge fireball erupting just behind - and to one side - of the truck as it begins to climb an elevated section of the bridge. |
| The speed with which the truck bomb theory started to spread in Russian circles was suspicious. It suggested the Kremlin preferred an act of terrorism to a more alarming possibility: that this was an audacious act of sabotage carried out by Ukraine. | The speed with which the truck bomb theory started to spread in Russian circles was suspicious. It suggested the Kremlin preferred an act of terrorism to a more alarming possibility: that this was an audacious act of sabotage carried out by Ukraine. |
| "I've seen plenty of large vehicle-borne IEDs [improvised explosive devices] in my time," a former British army explosives expert told me. "This does not look like one." | "I've seen plenty of large vehicle-borne IEDs [improvised explosive devices] in my time," a former British army explosives expert told me. "This does not look like one." |
| A more plausible explanation, he said, is a massive explosion below the bridge - probably delivered using some kind of clandestine maritime drone. | A more plausible explanation, he said, is a massive explosion below the bridge - probably delivered using some kind of clandestine maritime drone. |
| "Bridges are generally designed to resist downwards loads on the deck and a certain amount of side loading from the wind," he said. "They are not generally engineered to resist upward loads. I think this fact was exploited in the Ukrainian attack." | "Bridges are generally designed to resist downwards loads on the deck and a certain amount of side loading from the wind," he said. "They are not generally engineered to resist upward loads. I think this fact was exploited in the Ukrainian attack." |
| Some observers have noted that in one of the other security camera videos, something that looks like the bow wave of a small boat appears next to one of the bridge supports, a split second before the explosion. | Some observers have noted that in one of the other security camera videos, something that looks like the bow wave of a small boat appears next to one of the bridge supports, a split second before the explosion. |
| Read Paul's analysis in full. | Read Paul's analysis in full. |
| Related Topics | |
| Russia-Ukraine war | |
| Russia | |
| Crimea | |
| Vladimir Putin | |
| Ukraine |