Setback for Russia as vital bridge destroyed

A HUGE explosion that crippled the vital bridge linking Russia with Crimea is only “the beginning”, Vladimir Putin was warned last night.

- Marco Giannangeli

The 12-mile link was hit yesterday morning, a day after the Kremlin despot’s 70th birthday.

The rail-and-road route is a main supply line for Russia.

Oleksiy Danilov, head of Ukraine’s National Security and Defence Council, posted a video of burning Kerch bridge on social media with a clip of Marilyn Monroe singing Happy Birthday, Mr President.

Within hours, Ukraine’s post office released a stamp celebrating the attack showing two figures embracing at the edge of a destroyed bridge as smoke billows. The pose resembles Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet from Titanic moments before it hits an iceberg.

But Kyiv would not confirm it was responsible. Russia maintained the blast that destroyed one carriageway of the £3.3billion bridge was caused by a suicide bomber in a lorry packed with explosives, which then detonated a nearby fuel train.