Day 227 Roundup: Huge Blast on Crimean Bridge to Russia; IMF Approves $1.3B Emergency Loan to Ukraine

Facts

• A huge blast rocked the Crimean Bridge on Saturday. Spanning over 10 miles and connecting the peninsula to Russia via a road and railroad bridge across the Kerch Strait, the project was finalized in 2018 after Russia annexed Crimea four years earlier.¹
• Train service and car traffic reportedly partially resumed shortly after the blast, which Russia’s National Anti-Terrorism Committee said was caused by a truck bomb that resulted in seven railway cars carrying fuel catching fire. This saw 'two motorway sections of the bridge partially collapse.' The committee didn't apportion blame for the attack.²
• While Ukrainian officials didn't officially claim responsibility, according to news outlet Ukrainska Pravda, an unnamed source from the Security Service of Ukraine claimed the agency was behind the attack. The agency itself hasn't commented.³
• Meanwhile, multiple Russian missiles struck the city of Kharkiv on Saturday, reportedly damaging a sports complex and non-residential buildings. One civilian was reported injured.⁴
• Also on Saturday, Moscow's Defense Ministry appointed Air Force General Sergey Surovikin as the overall commander of Russian forces fighting in Ukraine. This is the third nomination in just a week and comes after commanders of two of Russia's five military regions were reportedly dismissed. The ministry hasn't indicated whether Surovikin is replacing anyone.⁵
• On Friday, the International Monetary Fund approved Ukraine's request for $1.3B in emergency funding for its embattled economy. It had already approved a $1.4B loan facility earlier in the year.⁶

Sources: ¹Associated Press, ²BBC News, ³Ukrayinska Pravda (a), ⁴Ukrayinska Pravda (b), ⁵Reuters and ⁶US News .

Narratives

• Anti-Russia narrative, as provided by Guardian. The blast on the bridge, which Russian Pres. Putin personally inaugurated in 2018, is not only a humiliating blow to Moscow but also a significant logistical setback that follows a procession of recent Russian defeats. While, admittedly, there are other options for supplying to Crimea, the damage to the bridge — regardless of the cause — brings a victorious end to Russia's notion that the peninsula is beyond Ukraine's reach.
• Pro-Russia narrative, as provided by Global Times. With limited damage and railway and car traffic already restored, this latest incident is more symbolic than it is a logistical setback: Although the cause has yet to be established, the blast is alarmingly tinted with provocation from Ukrainian officials who have previously threatened to attack the bridge — a move that would open a pandora's box of destroying critical infrastructure. Russia has been swift to launch an investigation, and the blast will have little impact on Russia's control of Crimea.