President’s Office says Crimean Bridge explosion was caused by conflict between Russian security forces

UKRAINSKA PRAVDA — SATURDAY, 8 OCTOBER 2022, 18:05

Mykhailo Podoliak, adviser to the head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, has described the explosion on the Crimean Bridge as a manifestation of the conflict between Russian security forces.

Source: Podoliak, speaking to Ukrainska Pravda

Quote: "Regarding the Kerch Bridge, this is a specific manifestation of the conflict between the Federal Security Service (FSB)/Wagner Group on the one hand and the Defence Ministry/General Staff of the Russian Federation on the other.

We are undoubtedly witnessing the beginning of large-scale negative processes in Russia. Control among the security forces has fallen sharply, serious conflicts have broken out amongst the Russian special services, everyone is looking for people to blame for the military defeats, and they want to reform Mr Putin's inner circle and take other positions. Or to arrest certain generals."

Details: Podoliak noted that according to all indications, the truck that exploded drove onto the bridge from the Russian side. Therefore, in his opinion, answers should be sought in Russia.

He believes the logistics of the detonation and synchronisation with the fuel train and the volume of road surface destroyed point to a Russian trace.

"Now, in this striking incident, we see that the conflict between Russia’s military and power structures is intensifying and slipping out of the Kremlin’s control," Podoliak said.

He believes that the Russian leadership is looking for people to blame for the defeats at the front, and the FSB and Wagner Group owners are campaigning for the dismissal of the military leadership: Sergei Shoigu, Minister of Defence of the Russian Federation, and Valery Gerasimov, Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces.

"The explosion on the bridge - a personal project of Putin’s - not only undermines the positions of the FSB, who allowed this to happen; it also gives the military an excuse for its systematic defeats in the south of Ukraine. They’re saying it’s because of failures by the FSB that all the logistics relating to rear support and the supply of reserves have collapsed," insists Podoliak.

Background: 

• On the morning of 8 October, it was reported that a large fire had broken out on the railway line of the Crimean Bridge.
• The occupying authorities of Crimea claimed that a truck had exploded on the Crimean Bridge. Meanwhile, Volodymyr Konstantinov, the so-called head of the Parliament of Crimea, said that the road surface on the Crimean Bridge had been damaged by "Ukrainian vandals".
• Vladimir Putin, the president of the aggressor country, has been informed about the fire on the Crimean Bridge; he instructed government officials to set up a special investigation commission.
• Later, the occupiers claimed that the movement of cars and buses across the Crimean Bridge had resumed.

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