Updated: Crimea Bridge

Update #1 Below-

Ukraine Claims Responsibility for the Attack

It seemed obvious they were responsible and that the US & UK helped them

Waterborne drones struck the sole bridge connecting Russia to the annexed Crimea peninsula on Monday, in a deadly attack on a vital supply route claimed by Ukraine’s security services.

The explosion hit the Kerch bridge, a major conduit for Russia’s troops in Ukraine, just hours before a crucial deal to export Ukrainian grain was to expire.Kyiv’s navy and SBU security service carried out a “special operation” using seaborne drones, a security service source told AFP. Russian authorities said a civilian couple was killed and their daughter wounded in the attack on the bridge, which was also damaged last year in a blast that Moscow blamed on Kyiv.

Ukraine both undertook and celebrated the attack last year with a commemorative stamp- Clearly they did the attack- Writing “Moscow blamed Kyiv” is obfuscation or a lie of omission.

Over the course of the last year, the Black Sea Grain Initiative has enabled the export in cargo of more than 32 million tonnes of Ukrainian grain.

But that traffic has come to a halt because of Russia’s refusal so far to renew the deal.

Because the refusal to extend came before the strike on the bridge

The last cargo ship cleared by the signatories to the deal — Ukraine, Russia, Turkey and the United Nations — Turkish bulk carrier TQ Samsun, was headed across the Black Sea from the Ukrainian port of Odesa towards Istanbul, the Marine Traffic website showed late Sunday.

Again the deal was over before the blast-

In the Kupyansk area of Kharkiv region Russian forces had been “actively advancing since the end of last week,” Deputy Defence Minister Ganna Malyar said.

Kyiv last month began its highly anticipated fightback against entrenched Russian troops after stockpiling Western weapons and building up its offensive forces.

It has recently acknowledged difficult battles and called on the United States and other allies to provide long-range weapons and artillery.

“People should understand what price we pay for (advancing),” a commander on the ground, “Bulat”, told AFP. “There are a lot of enemies. We need time to grind them down.”

I’ve repeatedly mention the high cost to Ukraine, all unnecessarily incurred.

View of the damage to the Kerch bridge from the train. pic.twitter.com/gFuPkz62lE

— ayden (@squatsons) July 17, 2023

Western claims the grain deal was ended due to the attack on the bridge are false- The grain deal had defacto (for all intents and purposes) ended yesterday (Sunday) or Saturday when the last ship left Ukraine

*See update above- It was Sunday

https://www.forexlive.com/news/black-sea-grain-deal-has-not-been-extended-as-of-now-but-everything-is-possible-says-tass-20230716/

Eamonn Sheridan

Sunday, 16/07/2023 | 17:42 GMT-4

Reuters with the headline, via Russian news agency TASS citing UN sources. Says that the Black Sea grain deal has not been extended as of now but everything is possible.

The Black Sea grain deal, in a nutshell, allows for commercial food and fertilizer exports from three key Ukrainian ports in the Black Sea despite the Russian invasion of the country.

Ukraine has already been using the cluster munitions provided to them by the US.

Zelensky claims they won’t be used against civilians- They will. They will be used liberally against civilians

Updated at the top.