Bomb damage to the heavily guarded Crimea-Russia bridge underscores the vulnerability of Vladimir Putin's forces in Ukraine.
Truck traffic will be halted until Russia can replace the wrecked section though, a Russian official said, the rail bridge is back in operation. Cargo that had come by truck must now be transferred to rail cars, meaning a squeeze on what supplies can get through.
Russian forces have already been undergoing severe resupply problems, and these problems can only get worse, even though the crucial supply line was not -- apparently -- completely cut. Certainly Russia cannot repair the bridge quickly enough to stave off supply shortages in the continuing campaign to hold back Ukrainian forces in the regions annexed by Putin.
In addition, the Russian navy based at Sevastopol in Crimea faces a crimp in its resupplies of artillery shells, rockets, missiles and spare parts, nor can its sailors count on adequate food supplies.
Blazing fuel tank cars raise the question of whether Russia’s fuel supplies have now been jeopardized during this crucial phase of the war.
All Putin could do was to order a commission to investigate how the supposedly impregnable bridge was hit and order further security measures. The bridge already has an air-defense system that makes it extremely hard to hit, along with naval patrols that include trained dolphins which can detect undersea divers.
Truck bomb wrecks Russia-Crimea bridge
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/oct/08/putin-dealt-bitter-blow-as-blast-cripples-key-bridge-to-crimea
Russia seized Crimea from Ukraine in 2014, and the 12-mile Crimean Bridge linking it to Russia's transport network was opened with great fanfare four years later by Putin.
It is a major artery for Russian forces that control most of southern Ukraine's Kherson region, and for the Russian naval port of Sevastopol, where the governor told locals: "Keep calm. Don't panic."
Truck traffic will be halted until Russia can replace the wrecked section though, a Russian official said, the rail bridge is back in operation. Cargo that had come by truck must now be transferred to rail cars, meaning a squeeze on what supplies can get through.
In addition, the Russian navy based at Sevastopol in Crimea faces a crimp in its resupplies of artillery shells, rockets, missiles and spare parts, nor can its sailors count on adequate food supplies.
Blazing fuel tank cars raise the question of whether Russia’s fuel supplies have now been jeopardized during this crucial phase of the war.
All Putin could do was to order a commission to investigate how the supposedly impregnable bridge was hit and order further security measures. The bridge already has an air-defense system that makes it extremely hard to hit, along with naval patrols that include trained dolphins which can detect undersea divers.
Truck bomb wrecks Russia-Crimea bridge
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/oct/08/putin-dealt-bitter-blow-as-blast-cripples-key-bridge-to-crimea
Russia seized Crimea from Ukraine in 2014, and the 12-mile Crimean Bridge linking it to Russia's transport network was opened with great fanfare four years later by Putin.
It is a major artery for Russian forces that control most of southern Ukraine's Kherson region, and for the Russian naval port of Sevastopol, where the governor told locals: "Keep calm. Don't panic."
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