Putin 'will step up Ukraine war as revenge for Crimea bridge blast' as officials dub explosion 'war without rules' | The Sun
VLADIMIR Putin is expected to “step up” the war in Ukraine as he seeks revenge for the blast on his Crimea bridge.
An explosion on the 12-mile bridge just before dawn yesterday killed three people and cut a vital supply line for Russian forces on Ukraine’s southern front.
Western officials believe the Russian leader will now seek revenge for the blast on the bridge, which was a pet project for Putin.
Previously, the Kremlin had warned any attack on the Kerch Strait would trigger “judgement day”.
Following the explosion, Putin convened an emergency meeting of his cabinet that morning.
Later, the Kremlin only said that it would strengthen its defences around the bridge.
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However, Russian officials said they expected an aggressive response.
Russian senator Alexander Bashkin said: “This was a declaration of war without rules,” adding the Kremlin response will be “adequate, conscious and, possibly, asymmetric”.
Putin has already appointed General Sergey Surovikin to take command of Russian forces who are desperately trying to regroup amid the struggling invasion.
According to Russian investigators, the blast was caused by a truck exploding but stopped short of blaming Ukraine.
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CCTV of the explosion shows the blast on the roadway seemingly centred around a large semi truck.
Kyiv has not claimed responsibility but an adviser to President Volodymyr Zelensky said this was “just the beginning”, adding: “Everything that is stolen must be returned to Ukraine”.
The Ukrainian security service said “the bridge burns beautifully”.
Zelensky took the opportunity to mock Putin in a comical weather report.
During his nightly video address on Telegram, the Ukrainian leader quipped that the conditions were "cloudy in Crimea".
President Zelensky said: "Today was a good and mostly sunny day in our country.
"Over most of the territory, it was about 20 degrees Celsius and sunny.
"Unfortunately, it was cloudy in Crimea, although it was still warm. But however the clouds are, Ukrainians know what to do, and they know that our future is sunny.”
Analysts in the West said Putin would escalate his assault on Ukraine and the threat of nuclear warfare had risen.
General Lord Dannatt, the former head of the Army, said he expected more indiscriminate shelling of Ukrainian civilian targets and there was the risk Mr Putin “might go nuclear”.
The Crimea Bridge has now partially reopened to traffic but video footage shows it has been badly damaged.
Part of the road bridge had collapsed into the sea and a fire has destroyed a section of the railway alongside it.
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Russian lines are said to be dramatically collapsing in eastern Ukraine as President Zelensky's men continue their lightning counter-offensive in the region.
Ukrainian fighters have recaptured swatches of territory in the north-east Kharkiv region and are narrowing in on Kherson – which, if captured – would be a monumental and embarrassing defeat for the Kremlin.
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