DAWN STRIKE
Massive explosions blow up and collapse Putin’s beloved Crimea Bridge in ‘kamikaze sea drone attack’ by Ukraine
AT LEAST two are dead after Vladimir Putin's beloved £3billion Crimea Bridge was rocked by massive explosions.
Two blasts rang out on the 12-mile crossing in the early hours of Monday morning as hordes of motorists travelled across it.
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Traffic was brought to a standstill due to what was initially described as an "emergency" on the Russian side of the bridge.
Dramatic images show mangled and contorted metal barriers on the warped roadway, which is a major supply route for Putin's troops fighting in Ukraine.
One shows how a section of the carriageway appears to have been obliterated by the blast, causing it to slump into the water below.
Although it remains unclear how great the structural damage is, sections of the bridge have been completely blown apart.
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Explosions rang out at both 03:04 and 03:20 local time, according to reports, shaking stunned drivers as they sat in their cars.
Chaos ensued near the Crimean end of the heavily guarded road and rail link as the concrete gave in.
According to eyewitnesses, people watched on in horror as a support pillar "collapsed" when the explosions erupted.
A couple were killed and their 14-year-old daughter has been seriously injured when their Hyundai was struck by one of the blasts.
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The family, from the Belgorod region, were en route to the holiday peninsula when tragedy struck.
Their relatives travelling in another car horrifically saw their lifeless bodies on the roadside as they navigated the treacherous route.
The schoolgirl is said to be in a "serious condition" in hospital.
"The girl was injured," Vyacheslav Gladkov, governor of the Belgorod region, said.
"The hardest thing is that her parents died, dad and mum. No words can calm the pain of loss here."
Russia immediately pointed the finger at Ukraine, with the head of the Crimean parliament Vladimir Konstantinov blaming the attack on the "terrorist regime in Kyiv."
Reports claim that Ukraine may have launched a kamikaze drone attack on Putin's prized bridge to disrupt its military supply route.
Debris from a suspected "jet-ski-style" kamikaze marine drone was found near the bridge, Mash media outlet reported.
A similar one was blown up by Russian forces in Sevastopol - approaching Putin’s warships - on Sunday, according to reports.
It has now been claimed that Ukraine's Security Service and Naval Forces orchestrated the attack.
A source told the BBC that they led the "special operation" that has been labelled as terrorism by furious Russian officials.
The insider claimed the bridge had been targeted with surface drones, saying: "It was difficult to reach the bridge, but in the end it was possible."
Russia's anti-terrorist committee said the strikes were carried out using unmanned drones on the water's surface.
It confirmed they had already opened a criminal investigation while claiming Ukrainian "special services" were behind the ambush.
Ukraine’s security service fuelled speculation by sharing a cryptic message seemingly referring to the damage caused to the Kerch Bridge.
Mockingly repurposing a popular lullaby, the SBU wrote on Telegram: "Nightingale, dear brother,/The bridge went ‘to sleep’ again/But once... Two!"
RUSSIA 'WRIGGLING OUT OF GRAIN DEAL'
But Ukraine’s southern military command has suggested the incident could be a Russian "provocation".
Army spokeswoman Natalia Humeniuk claimed the explosion may have been plotted by Putin because of his reluctance to continue the Black Sea Grain Initiative.
The deal allowing Ukraine to continue exporting its agricultural products expired today - and Russia has now refused to renew it.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters that the pact brokered by Turkey and the United Nations in July last year "has been terminated."
Crimean Wind Telegram channel said: "The explosion of the Crimean bridge is beneficial to Putin as an excuse to break the ‘grain deal’ in order to prevent Ukraine from gaining billions of dollars from the sale of grain."
Senior Russian politician Sergei Mironov had called for his country to scrap the Black Sea agreement in response to the bridge blast.
"That is what we need to do, and not discuss a grain deal that helps Kyiv's rulers and their Western masters line their pockets," he wrote on Telegram.
"There can be no grain deal after another terrorist attack."
Russia has been accused of using the pact as a "weapon" after repeatedly threatening to pull out over the last 12 months.
Ukraine’s military intelligence agency said of the strikes: "As for comments on the reasons for this - we do not comment.
"One can only quote the words of the head of the Ukraine’s Defence Intelligence, Kyrylo Budanov, that the Crimean bridge is an unnecessary construction."
Ukrainian MP Oleksiy Honcharenko added: "The destruction of the bridge span is a huge success for Ukraine.
"Everyone involved in this should be presented with the highest state awards.
"The attack on the bridge is a demonstration for the West that we are ready to take back our territories, and as soon as we have the necessary equipment for this, we show the highest results.
"This is an answer to all the skeptics who say that we do not have a good counter-offensive."
Hardline Russian war analyst Igor Strelikov, a former FSB secret service operative, warned that more strikes on the bridge were inevitable "until the amazing idiots in the Kremlin understand that there will be no agreements, that [Western] partners will not understand and forgive them - and that the war must be won."
PERILOUS PASSAGE
Russia has been vocally encouraging people to flock to the Black Sea peninsula for summer - despite it being in the war zone.
But Ukrainian Telegram channel Crimean Wind had warned Russians to avoid travelling to Crimea, which was annexed by Putin in 2014.
It explained that ferries on the same route as the disputed peninsula are also "legitimate targets."
"The fact that you should not go to the Crimea at all, we warned even earlier," said the post.
"Now all cars are turning around on both sides of the bridge. There are two options: either on the ferry or home.
"And the two 'ferries', we recall, are large [naval] landing ships, which are also legitimate targets for the Armed Forces of Ukraine."
It followed a warning from the Ukrainian Defence Ministry in early July, which reminded people of the risk of attacks in Crimea.
The message stated: "Big plans this summer? A travel advisory is in effect for certain beaches.
"We warned you last summer to stay away from Crimea."
There were also fears from Russia that disgruntled Wagner fighters turning against Putin could attack the bridge, Telegram channel Ukrainian channel InformNapalm said.
The post read: "Who is the most terrible saboteur in Russia now?
"That's right, Wagner PMC [Private Military Company] rebels.
"It is possible that some attentive people passed information to the FSB that the Wagnerites are preparing to bring explosives and ammunition to Crimea, because the agreements on the part of the Kremlin have not been fully implemented."
STANDSTILL TRAFFIC
An emergency meeting of Russia’s security council is expected to take place today.
Putin was reported to have been woken by his aides in the early hours as the carnage continued to unfold on the bridge.
Ambulances were forced to snake through cars to reach the scene as injured people were trapped in their cars.
Queues of traffic immediately worsened during the night as the bridge became inoperable.
Moscow-appointed ruler of Crimea Sergey Aksyonov said: "Given the current situation, I ask residents and guests of the peninsula to refrain from travelling over the Crimean Bridge and, for security reasons, to choose an alternative land route through new regions."
The occupation official said: "Traffic has been stopped on the Crimea Bridge.
"An emergency occurred in the area of the 145th support from the Krasnodar region.
"Law enforcement agencies and all responsible services are working.
"I spoke with the Minister of Transport of the Russian Federation Vitaly Savelyev.
"Measures are being taken to restore the situation. We keep in touch with colleagues from the Krasnodar region."
The bridge had been previously attacked in a bomb explosion in October last year.
The crossing links Krasnodar to Crimea over the Kerch Strait between the Black and Azov seas.
Travel on one side of the bridge can now resume Crimean State Council Chair Konstantinov said, based on a preliminary survey of the damage.
BRIDGE HAS 'PARTIALLY SANK'
The bridge, a major engineering feat, was Putin’s flagship project and the dictator opened the crossing in 2018.
It comprises a separate roadway and railway, both supported by concrete stilts, while the middle section is a wider span held together by steel arches, allowing shipping to pass underneath.
It was built by a company owned by Arkady Rotenberg, a close personal friend and former judo partner of Putin.
The bridge is key for Russian supplies and tourist traffic to the spectacular peninsula.
Traffic ground to a halt on both road and rail sections of the crossing on Monday following the explosions.
One train spent nearly two hours stuck on the Krasnodar side while panicked passengers were trapped on board, reports claim.
Ferries - including naval landing ships - have been deployed across the Kerch Strait.
This followed enhanced security checks in recent weeks amid fears of a new strike by Ukraine.
Pictures and video showed extensive damage to the crossing, especially on the highway towards Kerch in Crimea.
One of the sections of the bridge "partially sank", said an onlooker.
“It’s very bad, in real life it looks very bad, there are hard dips,” said the source.
The scale of the damage is a deep blow to Vladimir Putin who asserted on Sunday that the Ukrainian counteroffensive had failed.
It was not immediately clear if the supporting pillars of the bridge suffered structural damage - but the roadway is badly mutilated.
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Russian military patrol vessels were seen circling the waters throughout Monday morning.
Today’s attack was on the ninth anniversary of the downing by pro-Moscow rebels of flight MH17, causing the death of 298 people with a Russian-supplied BUK missile.
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