October 13, 2022

Conflict Conflagration


Conflict Conflagration

On October 8, the Kerch Strait Bridge linking mainland Russia and Crimea was rocked by a blast from a car bomb.

The explosion occurred just after 6 a.m. and killed three. Footage from the incident shows twisted metal and a collapsed roadway. A train carrying oil and running parallel to the bridge caught fire and accounted for most of the conflagration.

Initial reports suggest that Ukrainian security services carried out the attack. Whether it was caused by a truck-laden bomb, a maritime drone, or something else has yet to be determined.

The bridge itself was only completed three years ago and has become the main symbol of Russia's annexation of Crimea. During construction, Russian officials blocked the Kerch Strait to Ukrainian shipping. It was thus already fraught with controversy even before this blast.

Russia retaliated on Monday and Tuesday with rocket and drone strikes, and Russian President Vladimir Putin has appointed an overall commander of the Ukrainian invasion, called by some "General Armageddon." Adding all of this to the recent mobilization orders, suggests that the conflict is growing ever deadlier, and/or more desparate.

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