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☆ A Bridge Explosion Rocked Russia
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-17 | by ( Matthew Cullen | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

A vital bridge linking the occupied Crimean Peninsula to mainland Russia was attacked early this morning, killing two people and forcing its temporary closure. Rail service over the crossing, known as the Kerch Strait Bridge, resumed soon after the assault, but damage to the car lanes will likely complicate Russia’s efforts to resupply its troops in southern Ukraine. Ukrainian officials celebrated the assault, which Russia said was carried out by maritime drones, but declined to officially take credit. Initial reports suggested that today’s explosions were far less severe than a similar attack in October. Kremlin officials insisted that the decision was not connected with the attack.

Persons: month’s, Wagner Organizations: Rail Locations: Crimean, Russia, Kerch, Ukraine, Moscow

Russia said on Monday that it was pausing its participation in an agreement that had allowed Ukraine to export its grain by sea despite a wartime blockade, upending a deal seen as essential to keeping global food prices stable. Ukraine is a major producer of grain and other foodstuffs, and the United Nations had warned that some countries in the Middle East and Africa faced famine if Kyiv could not export its goods via the Black Sea. A Kremlin spokesman, Dmitri S. Peskov, told journalists on Monday that the agreement was “suspended,” but added that the decision was not connected to the attack hours earlier on the Kerch Strait Bridge linking Russia to occupied Crimea. Russian officials blamed Ukraine for the bridge attack, but Kyiv has not taken responsibility. Speaking about the grain agreement, Mr. Peskov said: “As soon as the Russian part is fulfilled, the Russian side will immediately return to the implementation of that deal.”

Persons: Dmitri S, Peskov, ” Organizations: United Nations, Kremlin Locations: Russia, Ukraine, upending, East, Africa, Kerch, Crimea, Kyiv, Russian

The blasts were the second time the Kerch Strait Bridge has been hit in 10 months. Russia on Monday accused Ukraine of using maritime drones to assault the bridge, a strategic link for Russian forces fighting in southern Ukraine. Ukrainian officials celebrated the attack, but neither claimed nor denied responsibility for the blasts. Hours after the attack, Moscow announced that it was pulling out of the Black Sea grain deal, an agreement that had allowed Ukraine to export its grain by sea despite Moscow’s naval blockade. Dmitri S. Peskov, the Kremlin’s spokesman, said the bridge attack was not related to Russia’s decision to suspend its participation in the deal, which had helped keep global food prices stable.

Persons: Vladimir V, Dmitri S Organizations: Monday Locations: Crimean, Russia, Kerch, Ukraine, Moscow

☆ Russia halts grain deal in what UN calls blow to needy people everywhere
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres signalled that Russia's withdrawal meant that the related pact to assist Russia's grain and fertilizer exports was also terminated. Moscow said it would consider rejoining the grain deal if it saw "concrete results" on its demands but that its guarantees for the safety of navigation would meanwhile be revoked. REUTERS/StringerUkrainian forces have been striking Russian supply lines as it pursues a counteroffensive to drive Russian forces out of its south and east. On Monday it reported two more civilians killed by Russian forces, which it said had begun a major push in the northeast. The grain deal was hailed as preventing a global food emergency when brokered by the United Nations and Turkey last year.

Persons: Dmitry Peskov, Antonio Guterres, Moscow, Antony Blinken, Saraf, Halima Hussein, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Zelenskiy, Stringer, Hanna Maliar, Serhiy Cherevatyi, Vladimir Putin, Marat Khusnullin, Putin, Artem Dekhtyarenko, Max Hunder, Michelle Nichols, Abdi Sheikh, Ron Popeski, Lidia Kelly, Peter Graff, Philippa Fletcher, Alex Richardson, Grant McCool Organizations: UN, Russian Federation, International Rescue, REUTERS, Stringer Ukrainian, Lyman, Ukrainian Armed Forces, TV, Reuters, Ukraine's Security, Ukraine, United, United Nations, Thomson Locations: Crimea, Ukraine, Russian, KYIV, Russia, Moscow, Ukrainian, Washington, AFRICA Ukraine, East Africa, Somalia, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia's, Mogadishu, Kyiv, Turkey, Kerch, Kupiansk, Kharkiv, United Nations, New York

☆ This 12-mile-bridge in Crimea is a lifeline for Russia's occupation, but attacks and damages are making it a headache for Moscow
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-17 | by ( Chris Panella | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

The Kerch Bridge connecting Russia and Crimea was damaged by explosions on Monday morning. An attack on the Kerch Bridge is far from "an extraordinary event," as Sergey Aksyonov, the Russian-installed governor of Crimea, said, according to The Kyiv Post. The damage was so severe, Kerch Bridge was closed for normal vehicle traffic until February 2023 and railway traffic until May 2023. "There's been a huge push on the part of Russian authorities to really sustain and even increase tourism in occupied Crimea for economic reasons, and for an integration of occupied Crimea into the larger Russian system." But defending the Kerch Bridge is a logistical nightmare for Russia, prompting a hoard of questions.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Putin, Karolina Hird, Evans Hanson, Sergey Aksyonov, Putin's, Samuel Bendett, ISW's Hird, There's, " Hird, who's, it's, Bendett, we've, Hird, that's Organizations: Service, Institute for, AP, Ukrainian Security, CNN, Center for Naval, International Affairs Group, Russia, Black, Fleet, Putin Locations: Kerch, Russia, Crimea, Wall, Silicon, Russian, Ukraine, Kyiv

☆ Russian tourists flee Crimea after attack on landmark bridge
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-17 | by ( Andrew Osborn | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/4] A train moves along the Crimean Bridge, a section of which was damaged by an alleged overnight attack, as seen from the city of Kerch, Crimea, July 17, 2023. State-run news agency RIA said a tailback of more than 5 km (3 miles) had formed as Russian tourists made for home - using the Chonhar bridge, which was briefly put out of action by a missile attack last month. Moscow blamed the attack on the Crimean bridge, the second since Russia sent its armed forces into Ukraine, on Kyiv. HOLIDAY CANCELLATIONS MOUNT UPKyiv says Russian tourists - more than 9 million of whom visited in 2021 - have no business holidaying on seized territory, especially while Ukraine is being bombed. The 19-km (12-mile) Crimean Bridge, a prestige project for President Vladimir Putin, is the route most Russian tourists choose to reach the peninsula, as well as a supply route for the Russian army in Ukraine.

Persons: Alexey Pavlishak, RIA, Vladimir Saldo, Elena Bazhenova, Crimea's, Ilya Umansky, Vladimir Putin, Andrew Osborn, Kevin Liffey Organizations: REUTERS, Kyiv, Russian Union of Travel Industry, Thomson Locations: Kerch, Crimea, Ukraine, Russia, MOSCOW, State, Moscow, Kyiv, Ukrainian, Russian, Ukraine's Kherson, Simferopol

☆ Ukraine marks 500 days of war by admitting it blew up Russia's bridge to Crimea
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-08 | by ( Charles R. Davis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

A Ukrainian official says the bridge to Crimea was targeted last year to disrupt Russian logistics. The bridge was seriously damaged after a truck rigged with explosives blew up while traveling on it. At the time, Russian President Vladimir Putin accused Ukraine of carrying out a "terrorist act." She noted that Saturday marks 273 days since the "first strike" on the bridge, which was carried out "in order to break the logistics of the Russians." Ukrainian responsibility for the October 2022 attack has been an open secret.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Hanna Maliar, —, Mykhailo Podolyak, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, — Putin Organizations: Service, New York Times, Twitter, Moscow Times Locations: Crimea, Ukraine, Wall, Silicon, Kerch, Russia

☆ 'Obama,' 'Trump gets impeached twice' and the other top political references in Fall Out Boy's new cover of the Billy Joel classic 'We Didn't Start the Fire'
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-28 | by ( Brent D. Griffiths | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

Fall Out Boy's new cover of the 1989 Billy Joel classic covers a lot of the bases the original touch. "Cambridge Analytica" (2018): The British consulting firm had been around for years, but bombshell reporting by The New York Times and The Guardian in 2018 sparked a scandal. Obama went on to defeat Republican presidential nominee John McCain en route to becoming the nation's first Black president. "Trump gets impeached twice" (2021): President Donald Trump became the first president to be impeached twice in the wake of the January 6, 2021 Capitol riot. Video later showed that Rice, who was 12 years old, was killed within two seconds of officers arriving, The New York Times reported.

Persons: Billy Joel, Obama, Trump, —, Billy Joel's, Gamal Abdel Nasser, Dwight D, Eisenhower, It's, Egypitan Hosni Mubarak, Muammar Gaddafi, Rodney King, King, Vladimir Putin, Putin, Viktor Yanukovych, Russia's, Donald Trump's, Alexander Nix, Cambridge Analytica, Osama bin Laden's, Illinois Sen, Barack Obama, New York Sen, Hillary Clinton, John McCain, Donald Trump, acquit Trump, Roberto Schmidt, Timothy McVeigh, Alfred P, Marjorie Taylor Greene, Sandra Bland, Tamir Rice, Bland, Rice, George Floyd, Derek Chauvin, Chauvin, Kerem Yucel, Gore, George W, Bush, Al Gore, Sandra Day O'Connor, Tom Delonge Organizations: Service, Cubs, Israel, NPR, National Guard, Russia, Cambridge, The New York Times, Guardian, London Thomson Reuters, US, New York, Democratic, Affordable, Republican, AFP, Getty, Murrah Federal Building, Georgia Republican, Minneapolis Police, Civil, Hennepin County Government Center, Texas Gov, Electoral College, Washington Post, CNN, Fox News, The Washington Post, New York Times Locations: Suez, Israel, Egypt, United Kingdom, France, British, Tunisia, North Africa, California's, Crimea, Ukraine, Azov, Kerch, Moscow, Russian, London, Afghanistan, Illinois, Iowa, Washington, Oklahoma, Georgia, The, Hennepin County, Minneapolis , Minnesota, AFP, Florida

☆ Chonhar bridge strike may indicate a more potent strategy by Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-22 | by ( Nick Paton Walsh | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

The Chonhar bridges are both rail and road crossings, and head from the northeast of occupied Crimea to Ukraine’s main target in this counteroffensive: occupied Zaporizhzhia region. In the video, Vladimir Saldo, the Russian installed governor of occupied Kherson region, walks around the wreckage, and bemoans “another pointless action” assisted, he says, by the London-supplied Storm Shadow missile. They will have to use another, longer route, he added, to the West through Armyansk and Perekop, closer to Ukrainian positions. On Sunday, a blast hit what seemed to be a Russian ammunition depot in Rykove, near Chonhar. Alexei Zhivoff, a Russian military blogger, said Thursday the Chonhar bridge was more a “land corridor”, and carried 70% of the military and civilian traffic to and from Crimea.

Persons: Volodymyr Zelensky’s, Vladimir Saldo, bemoans, Alexei Zhivoff Organizations: CNN, Shadow, NATO, Kharkiv – Locations: Crimea, Zaporizhzhia, Russian, Kherson, London, Armyansk, Kherson City, Dnipro, Kerch, Rykove, Chonhar, Kharkiv, Moscow, Russia

☆ Ukraine's military may not be able to retake Crimea, but it can make life hell for Russians there, experts say
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( Michael Peck | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Retaking the peninsula would be tough, but Ukrainian forces can isolate it, two US experts say. Supplying Russian forces on the peninsula — including the Black Sea Fleet — would require far more airlift capacity than Russia has. "Rattled by attacks, short of supplies, and somewhat isolated, Russian forces in Crimea could become less capable." It is possible that Russia could devise some defense or countermeasure against USVs, especially if they have naval and air superiority over the Black Sea. Sapping the capabilities and morale of Russian forces by disrupting their supply lines is one thing.

☆ Analysis: Cross-border attacks as Russia and Ukraine seek to weaken each other ahead of expected offensive
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( Nick Paton Walsh | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Ukraine is apparently striking at fuel depots in Russian-occupied areas and inside Russia itself – seemingly precise attacks but ones to which Kyiv is making no overt claim. Russia has been lashing out at what often seem to be civilian targets in Ukraine, either in rage or through ineptitude. Ukraine was quick to capitalize on that statement and sent senior officials to the area to claim Russia had already begun pulling back. And now, in Kherson, Ukrainian officials have ordered a 58-hour curfew from 8 p.m. on May 5, barring locals from leaving their houses. This comes amid a deluge of comments from Ukrainian officials that the weather - for the past fortnight alternating between rain and bold sunshine - has held them back.

☆ Russia's FSB says 7 Ukrainian agents arrested in Crimea
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

MOSCOW, May 3 (Reuters) - Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) said on Wednesday it had arrested seven people connected with Ukrainian intelligence and accused them of planning "a series of high-profile sabotage and terrorist acts" in Russian-annexed Crimea. In a statement, the FSB said the group had planned attacks against Russian-installed officials including local governor Sergei Aksyonov. In a statement, Aksyonov said the same group was behind both alleged incidents. He said, without providing evidence, that there was no doubt that the Ukrainian government was behind them. Russia seized Crimea from Ukraine in 2014 and used it as one of the launchpads for its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

☆ Fuel depot ablaze in Russia's Krasnodar, governor says
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

May 3 (Reuters) - A fuel storage facility near a key bridge in Russia's southwestern region of Krasnodar was on fire in the early hours of Wednesday, the regional governor said, but there were no initial reports of casualties. "The fire has been classified as the highest rank of difficulty," Veniamin Kondratyev, the governor of Krasnodar, which lies across the Sea of Azov from Ukraine, said on the Telegram messaging app. It lies close to the Crimean Bridge, or the Kerch Strait bridge, that links Russia's mainland with the Crimea peninsula it annexed in 2014 from Ukraine. The incident comes after a drone strike set ablaze a Russian fuel storage facility in the Crimean port of Sevastopol early on Saturday, in what Moscow said was a Ukrainian attack. Over the weekend, however, Kyiv's military said undermining Russia's logistics formed part of preparations for a long-expected counteroffensive.

☆ Putin drives across Crimea bridge in a Mercedes
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-05 | by ( Guy Faulconbridge | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/4] Russian President Vladimir Putin visits a bridge connecting the Russian mainland with the Crimean Peninsula across the Kerch Strait, December 5, 2022. Sputnik/Pool via REUTERSMOSCOW, Dec 5 (Reuters) - President Vladimir Putin on Monday drove a Mercedes across the Crimean Bridge linking southern Russia to the annexed Crimean peninsula, less than two months since an explosion tore through one of the Kremlin chief's showcase infrastructure projects. The 12-mile (19 km) road and rail bridge, which was personally opened by Putin in 2018, was bombed on Oct. 8 in an attack Russia said was carried out by Ukraine. "We are driving on the right hand side," Putin said, as he drove across the bridge. The blast also destroyed several fuel tankers on a train heading towards the annexed Crimean peninsula from neighbouring southern Russia.

☆ How Ukraine Blew Up a Key Russian Bridge
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-17 | by ( Marco Hernandez | James Glanz | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +8 min

Last month, a truck laden with explosives drove across the Kerch bridge, a critical artery connecting Russia with its troops fighting in southern Ukraine. Structural and explosive experts who reviewed the bridge’s design and imagery of the blast offered new details on how the bridge was damaged. There are few direct parallels to such a spectacular act of sabotage on a bridge behind enemy lines in wartime. The blast ignited a train carrying large fuel tanks on an adjacent bridge, creating flames and a plume of smoke. “If it were a suicide truck bomb,” Mr. Nair said, “I would think the guy would have destroyed the main span.”But the trigger for the bomb is still unknown.

☆ More than 700 dolphins in the Black Sea have died since the war in Ukraine began. Scientists believe the fighting cripples their ability to navigate, find food, and talk to each other.
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-04 | by ( Kelsey Vlamis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

There's been an increase in dolphin strandings around the Black Sea since the war in Ukraine began. Dolphins and porpoises talk and navigate via sound, which may be disrupted by the loud noises of war. "Russia's war against Ukraine escalated in February 2022 puts the entire Black Sea basin under a huge threat. Dolphins, porpoises, and whales have an acute sense of hearing and use echolocation to map out their environment. The areas were identified as important habitats for three species that the IUCN classifies as threatened or endangered: the Black Sea common dolphin, the Black Sea harbor porpoise, and the Black Sea bottlenose dolphin.

☆ Ukraine's surprise attack on Putin's 'miracle' bridge is more than just a military loss for Russia
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-23 | by ( Constantine Atlamazoglou | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

The bridge between Russia and the Crimean Peninsula was hit by a surprise attack on October 8. Bridge over troubled waterThe Crimean bridge on October 9. Contributor/AFP via Getty ImagesThe Crimean bridge is very important to the Russian war effort in Ukraine. Vehicles wait to cross the Crimean bridge on October 9. Happy birthday, Mr. presidentUkrainians pose with a mock postage stamp depicting the Crimean Bridge on fire on October 8.

☆ Crimea bridge repairs to be finished by July 2023 - Russian government document
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

A helicopter drops water to extinguish fuel tanks ablaze on the Kerch bridge in the Kerch Strait, Crimea, October 8, 2022. REUTERS/StringerMOSCOW, Oct 14 (Reuters) - Repairs to the bridge between the annexed Crimean peninsula and southern Russia, which was damaged in an explosion last Saturday, are to be finished by July 2023, a document published on the Russian government's website said. The Crimea bridge, a showcase project of Russian President Vladimir Putin's rule, was damaged in a blast that Russia has blamed on Ukraine. Some Ukrainian officials celebrated the incident but Kyiv has not claimed reponsibility. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by ReutersOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Russia looks to deprive Ukrainians of water and electricity as winter approaches
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-14 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

A fire engine stand in front of a burning electrical substation during extinguishing a fire on September 11, 2022 in Kharkiv, Ukraine. Two people died after a rocket hit an electrical substation on the outskirts of Kharkiv. Explosions in the city rang out at 8:00 p.m. As a result of the impact of two Russian cruise missiles, the administrative building was destroyed, transformers caught fire. They affected hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians and there are concerns that such attacks, and the likelihood of Russia continuing to target critical infrastructure, leaves civilians very vulnerable as winter approaches. "With the winter coming, such attacks could present grave risk to the civilian population," he added.

☆ Russia Detains Eight Suspects in Crimea Bridge Explosion
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-12 | by ( Ann M. Simmons | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Smoke billowing from a fire on the bridge that links Crimea to Russia over the weekend. MOSCOW—Russian authorities said they have detained eight people in connection with the blast that brought down part of the bridge linking the occupied Crimean Peninsula to Russia. The Federal Security Service, or FSB, Russia’s domestic intelligence agency, said it had detained five citizens of Russia and three citizens of Ukraine and Armenia, alleging the detainees were involved in preparing last weekend’s explosion along the Kerch Strait Bridge.

☆ John Bolton says the US needs to make it clear that Putin is 'signing a suicide note' if he uses nuclear weapons
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-12 | by ( Cheryl Teh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Bolton said the US needs to make it clear that Putin will be eliminated if he uses nuclear weapons. Putin is "signing a suicide note" if he orders the use of nukes, Bolton said. When Marr asked Bolton to weigh in on what the US, NATO, and the West should do if Putin were to use nuclear weapons, Bolton said the focus should be on deterring Putin from using nuclear weapons, rather than on what to do in retaliation. "We need to make clear if Putin were to order the use of a tactical nuclear weapon, he would be signing a suicide note," Bolton said. Military experts speculate that Putin may use nuclear weapons, interpreting these annexations as a sign that Putin is committing to an eventual escalation.

☆ Russian security forces say a key bridge to Crimea was sabotaged by a truck bomb hidden inside rolls of plastic wrap that repeatedly went unnoticed
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-12 | by ( Natalie Musumeci | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Russia says a key bridge to Crimea was attacked by a truck bomb hidden in rolls of plastic. Russia's Federal Security Service said Ukrainian military intelligence organized the bombing. Ukraine has not directly claimed responsibility for the weekend bombing of the Kerch Strait Bridge. Russia's Federal Security Service claimed that the bombing — which Russian President Vladimir Putin has deemed a "terrorist attack" — was organized by the Main Intelligence Directorate of Ukraine's Ministry of Defense and its head, Kyrylo Budanov. Russia's Federal Security Service said that the explosive device that destroyed part of the bridge was "camouflaged" in rolls of construction polyethylene film on 22 pallets weighing in total more than 25 tons.

☆ G-7 leaders promise to back Ukraine against Russian aggression for 'as long as it takes'
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-11 | by ( Emma Kinery | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Leaders of some of the world's largest economies reiterated their commitment to Ukraine and condemned Russia's escalating aggression following a virtual meeting Tuesday morning, vowing to back Ukraine for "as long as it takes." "We will continue to provide financial, humanitarian, military, diplomatic and legal support and will stand firmly with Ukraine for as long as it takes," the G-7 group of nations said in a statement. He said that he and the G-7 leaders will keep their "unwavering commitment to hold Russia accountable for its war and support Ukraine for as long as it takes." The G-7 condemned steps Russia has taken to escalate its war in Ukraine. The White House has repeatedly said it takes Russia's threats of nuclear war seriously, but does not see indications of a present threat.

☆ Putin is making strategic mistakes because nobody in the Kremlin can tell him he's wrong, UK intelligence chief says
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-11 | by ( Mia Jankowicz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Putin's strategy is failing because he has "little effective internal challenge," per a UK intel chief. The remarks come after Putin launched a major bombardment of Ukrainian cities and facilities. The Russian leader has surrounded himself primarily with people who share his mindset, making internal challenges to his thinking exceedingly rare. Putin framed this as retaliation for an attack on the Kerch Strait Bridge over the weekend, state media reported. On Saturday, Putin named a notoriously brutal commander, Sergei Surovikin, to lead Russia's assault on Ukraine.

☆ Russia unleashes its anger on Ukraine with brutal strikes — but it has big problems on the battlefield
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-11 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Cars are seen on fire after Russian missile strikes, as Russia's attack continues, in Kyiv, Ukraine October 10, 2022. Ukraine's leadership has said it will not be intimidated by the latest spate of attacks, with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy vowing to inflict more pain on Russian forces on the battlefield. Supplies running outDespite Moscow's recent show of strength in the last day or so, experts say Russia's forces are looking increasingly desperate and ill-equipped. "Russia's forces are exhausted. Destroyed armored vehicles and tanks belonging to Russian forces, after they withdrew from the city of Lyman in the Donetsk region in Ukraine on Oct. 5, 2022.

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