Ukraine destroys Russia's key supply line - A possibility of a NUCLEAR WAR?

The 19km (12-mile) Kerch Bridge, a key supply route for Russian forces, was hit by a blast on Saturday, killing three people.

The bridge, which is seen as a symbol of the Kremlin’s annexation of the Crimean Peninsula in 2014, is a vital supply route for Russian forces fighting in Ukraine. It was opened with great fanfare by Russian President Vladimir Putin in 2018.

Construction of that bridge took 3 years to complete and it was worth around 3.7 billion USD. But more than that it was a symbol of Russian occupation of Crimea. And this was a major bridge in linking Russian mainland to the Crimean Peninsula. It also played a key role in Russian supply line during this conflict. Destruction of this bridge is a major blow to Russian economy and military.

Putin on Saturday decreed tighter security for the bridge and the infrastructure supplying electricity and natural gas to Crimea, and ordered an investigation.

The Kerch bridge blast came a day after Putin’s 70th birthday and coincided with Russia’s appointment of General Sergey Surovikin to lead the war in Ukraine, the third senior military appointment in a week.

The explosion drew celebrations from Ukrainians and others on social media, but Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskky made no direct mention of it in his nightly address and officials made no claim of responsibility.

While some in Moscow hinted at Ukrainian “terrorism”, state media continued to call it an “emergency situation”.

In his address, Zelenskyy spoke of a “sunny” future for Ukrainians, one without occupiers, “in particular in the Crimea”.

Zelenskyy’s adviser Mykhailo Podolyak appeared to suggest that Moscow had a hand in the blast. But in an irony also mentioned that the Crimea bridge must be destroyed and this is just the start of destruction which points the fingers towards Ukraine having a role in the destruction

“It is worth noting that the truck that detonated, according to all indications, entered the bridge from the Russian side. So the answers should be sought in Russia,” he said.

Officials in Moscow stopped short of blaming Kyiv, but a Russian-installed official in Crimea pointed the finger at “Ukrainian vandals”.

Yet Putin still calls this as an act of terrorism and in retaliation to this Russia bombed Ukraine with 75 missiles destroying its major civilian centres. One of its missiles also hit German Conciliate present in Kyiv. He mentioned that he can go to any extent to counter this. He also warned the West not to interfere in its politics and said that any interference in this conflict would be equivalent of declaring war on Russia. Russia may deploy its tactical nuclear weapons as it considers Crimea to officially be a part of the Russian federation and this act of destruction is an act of terrorism.

With Zelenskyy seeming increasingly unlikely to back down after this incident there is a high possibility the question is not whether Russia will use its nukes or not but when it will use its nukes.