What is the significance of the Kerch Bridge, which was targeted by Ukraine?
A car bomb exploded on the Crimean bridge, causing a large fire at the main crossing between the Ukrainian peninsula annexed by Moscow and the Russian mainland, according to Russian news agencies, citing the Russian National Anti-Terrorism Committee.
The bridge, which was built at great cost on the orders of Russian President Vladimir Putin, is used to transport military equipment for Russian forces fighting in Ukraine.
The committee said that the explosion damaged two lanes of the bridge's roads, but its arch was not damaged.
A Kremlin spokesman told RIA Novosti that Putin had ordered the formation of a government commission to reveal the facts.
Vladimir Konstantinov, head of the Crimean Council - the local parliament installed by Russia - accused "Ukrainian saboteurs" of being behind the bombing.
CNN said the incident was a "huge blow to Russia."
Pictures of the Kerch bridge posted on social media show that part of the car road and the railway bridge have fallen into the water below.
Flames were seen burning from the railway cars above.
What is the Crimean Bridge?
The Crimean Bridge, also called "Kerch" in relation to the strait that separates the Ukrainian territory of Crimea with Russian territory, was opened in 2018 after the occupation of this area in 2014.
In May 2018, Russian President Vladimir Putin inaugurated the huge bridge linking Crimea to Russia, driving an orange truck himself.
And after it was intended for crossing cars, it later became a track dedicated to trains.
The Kerch Bridge, extending over 19 kilometers, is a huge and costly project that took two years to build to link Russia to Crimea and aims to reduce the peninsula's isolation four years after its annexation, in a process Ukraine describes as "illegal".
The height of the bridge, which passes through the island of Tuzla, is 35 meters at its central arch, and the maximum permissible speed will be 120 kilometers per hour, if weather conditions do not slow down traffic on it, according to the Russian RIA Novosti news agency.
The construction of this bridge cost 228.3 billion rubles (about 7.5 billion dollars).
Last month, Ukraine threatened to dismantle the costly Moscow-built Kerch Bridge to connect Russia to Crimea, as several explosions occurred at Russian military bases.
At the time, Ukraine's presidential adviser, Mikhailo Podolyak, wrote on Telegram, "This bridge is an illegal structure and Ukraine did not allow its construction. It harms the ecology of the peninsula and therefore must be dismantled. It does not matter how: intentionally or not."
Crimea is a popular destination for Russians to spend a vacation and enjoy its beaches and mountains, and tourists from Russia are one of the main sources of income for the Black Sea peninsula.
What is the significance of the Kerch Bridge?
The huge bridge formed a major link for the transportation of military equipment for Russian soldiers who are fighting in Ukraine, especially in the south, as well as the transportation of troops there.
The bridge outage cuts off supplies to Russia's military bases in Crimea, which it uses in its wars in Ukraine.
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