Ukrainian officials have started responding to a fire involving a tanker on Kerch bridge in the Russian-annexed Crimean Peninsula on Saturday, without directly acknowledging that Ukraine was responsible for the explosion.
Vadym Denysenko, an adviser to the Interior Minister, said that “the Kerch bridge is a key logistical link that connects Russia with Crimea, and then with the Kherson region. As of now, the Russians have officially announced that the Kerch bridge is closed.”
“Logistically, it is becoming increasingly difficult for them to supply everything possible, from food and fuel to the supply of weapons to Crimea and to the Kherson region. This is a big plus for us, Denysenko said on Ukrainian television.
“A ferry crossing may partially solve the problem, but it depends on how many ferries they will launch and of what size. […] To do it all in one day or a few hours – it is almost unrealistic.”
“Are you sleeping?”: Meanwhile, the Navy of the Armed Forces of Ukraine responded to the blast on Facebook, posting, “Air defense of the Russian Federation, are you sleeping?” alongside a video showing a section of the bridge’s road that had been completely destroyed.
David Arakhamia, the head of Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky’s party in parliament and a member of Kyiv’s negotiating team with Russia released a Telegram statement about the incident, saying: “Russian illegal construction is starting to collapse and catch fire. The reason is simple: if you build something explosive, sooner or later, it will explode. And this is just the beginning.”
Mykhailo Podoliak, who serves as an adviser to Zelensky echoed the sentiment. “Crimea, the bridge, the beginning. Everything illegal must be destroyed, everything stolen must be returned to Ukraine, everything occupied by Russia must be expelled,” Podoliak said.
The official Twitter page of the Ukrainian government responded to images, memes and video of the Krech bridge explosion with a two-word comment:
“Sick burn.”
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