Crimean bridge: Heavy blow to Putin’s prestige – Will he retaliate?

A heavy blow to his prestige Vladimir Putin succeeded in sabotaging his boast, the Kerch Bridgewith the question of the international community now being how the unpredictable Russian president will react, and the retaliation – and in terms of impressions – that he will attempt on the Ukrainians, even though he is considered to be with his “back to the wall” militarily.

The explosion on the Crimean bridge, which killed three, is a personal blow for the Russian president, although Moscow assures that its forces will not be affected in terms of supplies to their “special business”, and that its repair is a matter of time with traffic to be partially restored.

At the inauguration of this bridge, the longest in Europe in 2018, 19 kilometers long and costing 3.9 billion dollars, Vladimir Putin had set up a fiesta with him even driving a truck across it like a “great helmsman”. For him, the Russian achievement of Russian engineering was of the utmost importance to be delivered and built in his day. The All-Russian Union of Insurers estimates the damage from the explosion and fire on the bridge at 200 to 500 million rubles (3.3 to 8.2 million euros).

However, analysts disagree with the Kremlin’s assessment, noting that it is now in a strategically worse position after the explosion and destruction of the bridge, as it has lost one of its main road arteries, through which it fed its troops mainly in Kherson.

According to expert analyst Samuel Ramani, the damage to Kerch bridge is a strategic setback for Moscow’s troops.

“They have more than 20,000 forces stuck in Kherson right now. They have lost access to bridges, rely on ferries and are in desperate need of ammunition, food and supplies from Crimea,” he said.

“Russia is in more dire straits strategically than it was at the beginning of the week”he adds.

The loss of Kharkiv was a major moral and logistical setback for Russia, and the loss of Lyman cut off another logistical route, which “dealt them a serious blow”.

He adds: “Whenever Russia tried to disperse its forces, it always failed, but Ukraine was able to maintain attacks on Luhansk, Donetsk and Kherson simultaneously. They may now open a new front in Zaporizhia.”

Ramani adds that this is a “big concern” for Russia, as Ukraine may have more ground than it had in February by the time its 20,000 troops arrive on the front lines. “Russia’s forces may not have adequate supply lines to supply and equip themselves,” he said, as reported by the BBC.

At the same time, the Russian Ministry of Defense assigned the general Sergey Surovikin the command of all Russian military forces engaged in Ukraine. This change follows the removal, as reported at the beginning of the week, of two commanders from a total of five military commands of Russia, and the -Ukrainian- reports of an “underground war” by the FSB – Russian Defense Ministry.

Ukraine’s presidency suggested on Saturday that the explosion that partially destroyed the Crimean bridge was the result of an “internal” dispute in Moscow’s power circles, asserting that a “Russian finger” was behind it.

“We note that the truck that exploded, according to all indications, entered the bridge from the Russian side. Therefore, the answers should be sought in Russia (…) all this clearly indicates a Russian trace,” said the advisor to President Volodymyr Zelensky, Mykhailo Podoliak.

Now seriously. FSB/PMC try to eliminate leadership of Defense Ministry/GHQ. Before personnel change, FSB is in knockdown — missed Putin’s bridge explosion. Defense Ministry can now blame FSB for the future South loss. Isn’t it obvious who made an explosion? Truck arrived from RF.

— Михайло Подоляк (@Podolyak_M) October 8, 2022

The president of Russia Vladimir Putin ordered to strengthen the security of the bridge that connects Russia with Crimea as well as the infrastructure that supplies electricity and natural gas to that peninsula, the Interfax agency reported.

In a decree issued a few hours after the explosion on the bridge, Putin says that the security service FSB will undertake to strengthen protection measures.

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