At least three people have died in the Crimean bridge blast Saturday, Russian authorities say after a bridge connecting Russia to the Crimea peninsula caught on fire following an explosion. The road-and-rail bridge was one of the life bloods of the Russian war effort and was being used to move men and machinery into Ukraine.

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It’s unclear whether the bridge explosion was a premeditated attack or an accident. Russia did not immediately assign blame, but Ukrainian leaders were seen on social media celebrating. Oleksiy Danilov, Ukraine’s National Security and Defence Council chief, posted a video on Twitter alongside a video of Marilyn Monroe singing Happy Birthday, Mr President. 

Saturday, October 8 is Vladimir Putin’s 70th birthday. 

The Kerch bridge blast comes at a time when Russia has faced consistent defeat on the battlefield. Ukrainian forces first ousted Moscow troops from capital Kyiv and have now focussed on ousting them from the Kherson region. The Russians, after months, made some gain on Ukrainian territory over the last couple of days, recapturing parts of the Donetsk region. 

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The Crimean bridge that caught on fire has been a target of Ukrainian forces since the beginning of the Russian ‘special military operation’ that began on February 24 this year. As the bridge burnt, the Ukrainian post office said it will print a special stamp to mark the occasion. 

What happened on the Kerch bridge?

At around 6 am, a freight truck blew up on the bridge causing several fuel tanker wagons on a train to catch fire, the Russian National Anti-Terrorism Committee said. Two spans of the road bridge partially collapsed, but the arch spanning the Kerch strait, the waterway that allows ships to travel between the Azov Sea and the Black Sea was unaffected.

Of Kyiv’s reaction to the blast, Russian authorities said it “testifies to its terrorist nature”. Sergei Aksynov, Russian governor of Crimea, said on social media that the road bridge was still intact in one direction, although traffic was suspended while the damage was assessed, Reuters reported.