Lauren C. Moye, FISM News
Russian President Vladimir Putin’s birthday weekend has been marked with symbolic reprimands, like the Nobel Peace Prize awarded to a dismantled Russian human rights group, and an explosion on the Russian-built road-and-rail bridge that links the nation with the Crimean peninsula.
The 12-mile-long Crimea, or Kerch Strait, Bridge opened in 2018 and is the only direct link between Russia and the territory it annexed in 2014. It’s an important route for moving troops, weapons, food, and other supplies since the Kremlin announced its “special military operation” on Feb. 24 of this year.
However, Saturday the bridge was rocked by a huge explosion that caused a partial collapse and left a train ablaze.
Moscow said the explosion was caused by a lorry exploding. Though Ukraine has not claimed responsibility for the explosion, Ukrainian officials have seized the opportunity to mock Putin.
Oleksiy Danilov, secretary of Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council, tweeted the burning bridge alongside a video of Marilyn Monroe singing “Happy Birthday.” Putin turned 70 on Friday.
Other officials have hinted that sabotage is responsible for the explosion.
“Crimea, the bridge, the beginning. Everything illegal must be destroyed, everything stolen must be returned to Ukraine,” tweeted Ukrainian presidential advisor Mykhailo Podolyak.
Crimea, the bridge, the beginning. Everything illegal must be destroyed, everything stolen must be returned to Ukraine, everything occupied by Russia must be expelled. pic.twitter.com/yUiSwOLlDP
— Михайло Подоляк (@Podolyak_M) October 8, 2022
On Saturday, Russia’s Defense Ministry said that troops fighting in the Mykolaiv, Kryvyi Rih, and Zaporizhzhia regions could still receive all necessary supplies through land and sea corridors.
Road traffic resumed on the bridge late Saturday. Moscow reported that railway traffic also resumed Saturday evening.
Putin also ordered tighter security on the bridge and around the infrastructure supplying energy to the peninsula, the Russian-headquartered news agency Interfax reported.
This morning, Russian divers are examining the damage to the bridge’s foundation.
“The situation is manageable – it’s unpleasant, but not fatal. Of course, emotions have been triggered and there is a healthy desire to seek revenge,” said Crimea’s Russian-installed governor, Sergei Aksyonov this morning.
Human rights concerns
Putin also received a global rebuke when this year’s Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to a Russian human rights group, Memorial. Moscow shut down Memorial at the end of last year.
The announcement of this year’s award is sobering in light of the grave accusations of human rights violations committed against Ukrainian civilians.
On Friday, Lyman regional governor Pavlo Kyrylenko said another mass grave was located in the city recently recaptured from Russian occupation.
One senior police official reported that this grave contained 180 bodies, according to the Ukrinform news agency.
The grave is thought to contain the bodies of both officers and civilians.
Earlier this morning, a Russian missile attack damaged an apartment block in the southeastern city of Zaporizhzhia. Oleksandr Satrukh, governor of the region, said at least 12 missiles were used in the latest attack. Other regional officials reported that 13 people died and 87 others were wounded, including small children.
The city also suffered a civilian loss of 19 people on Thursday.
“Zaporizhzhia again. Merciless strikes on peaceful people again. On residential buildings, just in the middle of the night,” Zelensky said on the Telegram messaging app.
Moscow denies its troops have targeted civilians and infrastructure or committed atrocities.
Economic Updates
Ukraine’s economy ministry reported that the nation’s economy shrank 30% during the first three quarters of this year compared to this time in 2021. An internationally brokered grain deal alleviated some of the pain of the war by boosting exports by 23% in August to reach their highest level since the invasion began.
However, this deal expires in late November. A United Nations team is working to expand the deal for a full year.
The grain deal is vital not just for Ukraine’s exports but also to stave off global starvation. Ukraine is one of the largest grain suppliers in the global market.
Meanwhile, the International Monetary Fund approved a request for an additional $1.3 billion in emergency funding for Ukraine on Friday. The decision was made after other member governments agreed to ensure that Ukraine’s debt to the fund was repaid.