Crimea bridge pillaged again; Ukraine implicated

Elements of the Armed Forces of Ukraine pillaged the Kerch Strait Bridge connecting Crimea to the rest of Russia. This is the second such attack in less than a year.

Crimea bridge attack

Reportage on this latest Crimea bridge attack and its aftermath comes from The Guardian, CNN, and Reuters. At 3:00 a.m. Moscow Time came the first reports of explosions on the bridge, at the 145^th pillar. Apparently two robotic fast boats laden with explosives crashed into that pillar. The shocks wrecked a passing car, killing a father and mother and injuring their daughter, age 14. The attack left a section of roadway split, with one half sagging toward the Black Sea. As happened in the earlier attack, the bridge is now closed to road traffic. Authorities hoped to permit rail traffic to restart this morning.

This video, from the railroad span, shows the damage to the roadway at the 145^th pillar.

CNN reported an anonymous tipster within the Ukraine Security Service (SBU) as saying this latest pillage was a joint operation of the SBU and the Ukrainian navy.

According to Reuters, the “grain deal” that allowed free passage of Ukrainian grain from Black Sea ports is now off. The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed this on Telegram. (All translations by Yandex.)

⚡️ Boris Gryzlov’s comment on the position of the Russian side on the grain deal

On the morning of July 17, the Russian Embassy in Belarus sent a note through diplomatic channels to the Ukrainian side, which sets out the position of the Russian Federation regarding the future fate of the “grain deal”. The document says that the Russian Federation officially objects to the further extension of the Initiative for the Safe Transportation of Grain and Food from the Ports of Ukraine after its expiration date, and therefore the implementation of the Initiative should be completely discontinued from July 18 of this year.

• Russia has repeatedly expressed concern that the deal has turned into a purely commercial project through the efforts of the West and has actually lost its original humanitarian function.

• The Western countries were not going to fulfill their part of the obligations concerning the observance of Russian interests in the framework of the “grain deal”.

• The termination of the Initiative is entirely on their conscience.

➡️ More details (https://vk.com/wall-161357899_4454 )

#Zernovayasdelka

Dmitri Medvedev, Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council, left an angry response on his Telegram channel. This response could be a subtle threat of the sort of retaliation Russia could be contemplating.

The world and our own experience shows that it is impossible to fight terrorists with international sanctions, intimidation or exhortations.

They only understand the language of power.

Only personal and completely inhumane methods.

Therefore, it is necessary to blow up their own homes and the homes of their relatives. To search for and eliminate their accomplices, abandoning the insipid idea of a trial over them. But the main thing is to destroy the top leadership of terrorist formations, in whatever crevices these insects hide.

It’s difficult, but it’s possible.

Official statements

Shortly after the Crimea bridge attack, the Russian Foreign Ministry made this statement:

Statement of the Russian Foreign Ministry in connection with the terrorist act on the Crimean Bridge

Read completely: (https://mid.ru/ru/foreign_policy/news/1897152/)

On the night of July 17, the Crimean Bridge was subjected to another terrorist attack using two Ukrainian surface drones. One of the sections of the roadway was damaged.

Civilians were killed – Alexey and Natalia Kulik, residents of the Novooskolsky city district of the Belgorod region, following the bridge in a passenger car. Their 14-year-old daughter Angelina was left an orphan and was hospitalized in a moderate condition.

Kiev said that the incident was the result of a joint operation of the Naval Forces and the Security Service of Ukraine. This confirms the involvement of the political leadership and special services of the country in the terrorist attack. Even more cynical and monstrous was the reaction of a number of Ukrainian parliamentarians to the tragedy of the Kulik family. They began to mock people’s grief, which allows us to draw conclusions about the level of moral and mental development of Kiev politicians.

A criminal case has been opened on the fact of the terrorist attack (https://t.me/sledcom_press/7663 ), within the framework of which the necessary investigative measures are carried out. We are confident that the perpetrators will be identified and will not escape justice. If the Western origin of the surface drones that attacked the bridge is revealed, as well as the role of Western countries in planning, sponsoring and implementing this operation, it will confirm their complicity in the terrorist activities of the Kiev regime.

The Russian Foreign Ministry strongly condemns the terrorist attack against the Crimean Bridge, which is a purely civilian object. We hope that the international community and relevant multilateral structures will show integrity and give a proper assessment of the next crime of the Ukrainian authorities.

The damage to the roadway of the Crimean Bridge, received as a result of the terrorist attack, will be eliminated as soon as possible. All attempts to disrupt transport links with the peninsula and tear Crimea away from the rest of Russia are obviously impossible.

The Foreign Ministry later said the grain deal was off for that reason.

⚡️ Statement of the Russian Foreign Ministry on the Istanbul Agreements

🔉 Audio commentary by M.V.Zakharova (https://mid.ru/upload/main/9bf/eu0rslbxxfxprja30f0vb0y5cpglr3oo/230717_140522_00.m4a)

Almost a year ago, on July 22, 2022, two mutually linked agreements were signed in Istanbul – the Black Sea Initiative for the export of Ukrainian food and Russian ammonia and the Russia-UN Memorandum on the Normalization of Russian exports of agricultural products and fertilizers.

A year later, the results of the work on the implementation of these agreements look disappointing.

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The Black Sea Initiative was launched just a week after the signing. However, contrary to the stated humanitarian goals, the export of Ukrainian food was almost immediately transferred to a purely commercial basis and until the last moment was aimed at serving the narrow-minded interests of Kiev and its Western curators.

As for the Russia-UN Memorandum, it has not actually worked. Washington, Brussels and London continued to “stamp” their restrictions. <…> As a result, Russian bank payments, insurance and transport logistics, spare parts supplies and foreign assets were completely blocked.

We have to state that none of the five systemic tasks stipulated by the Russia-UN Memorandum has been fulfilled.

In these conditions of outright sabotage in the implementation of the Istanbul Agreements, the continuation of the “Black Sea initiative”, which did not justify its humanitarian purpose, loses its meaning.

👉 In accordance with paragraph H of the agreement, the Russian side objects to its further extension <…>. This means:

• revocation of shipping safety guarantees,

• curtailment of the maritime humanitarian corridor,

• restoration of the regime of a temporarily dangerous area in the north-western waters of the Black Sea,

• Disbanding of the SCC in Istanbul.

Without Russia’s participation, the Black Sea Initiative ceases to function from July 18.

Only when concrete results are obtained, and not promises and assurances, will Russia be ready to consider restoring the “deal”.

Read in full (https://mid.ru/ru/foreign_policy/news/1897157/)

In October 2022, a suicide truck laden with explosives blew up a Ukraine-bound road span while traffic was still flowing. This blast charred the railroad span and set fire to five fuel tank cars.

About the image

“Kerch 110” by Alexxx1979 is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0 .

Obviously this image is of the bridge in a more peaceful time.

This article is updated to correct an earlier account blaming the attack on Unmanned Aerial Vehicles.