Lots and lots of footage around. Road span appears to have collapsed, rail span with a train on it burning fiercely. The rail span is the main logistical one though, not sure yet how far out of action it will be but unless major structural damage has occurred, it’s likely to be repairable in fairly short order. Either way, it’s out of action for now.
Nobody knows how it’s happened though. We shall see. Russia will likely explain it away as some sort of accident anyway.
Meanwhile, Russians appear to be making ground on Bakhmut. They’ve been assaulting that part of front for months without success but, getting a bit hairier now.
Yeah, I’m not sure an accident on a passing train causes that without destroying the train and rail span as well.
That’s a massively important development.
Logistically, strategically, even the mental aspect of being cut off from Russia.
Probably one of the most important moments of the war.
Happy Birthday Mr.Putin.
That’s more like it.
Vlad the Poo.
Seems the fire has burned itself out. Nobody is going over this bridge for a while at least. I would think the rail is gone and that the intensity of the fire would have caused the reinforcing steel to expand and shatter the concrete at the very least. Perhaps @Noo_Noo could comment on that?
I think a demonstartion of Force might be appropriate now. Something like a big NATO training exercise in and around Turkey and Romania for example. Something bigger than what’s been seen in the Mediterannean before. I mean 1 Charles De Gaulle doesn’t tick the boxes for me.
That is weird!
To be honest their explanation of some carrige carring something explosive looks like the most likely explanation. The explosion and fire look like they are ‘on’ the bridge. Of course it could be a ‘lucky’ hit or sabbatage. Even so the images point, imo, something that went up on the bridge.
There had been speculation that it was just too far, too tightly guarded, but it would appear now that the Ukrainian forces were waiting for it to become critical. Roughly 40% of the entire Russian army is now supplied along one road from Rostov
I think we are past the point when training exercises illustrate much of relevance - and indeed actually expose forces while reducing their readiness immediately thereafter. NATO militaries are generally extremely busy right now, maintaining a very high level of readiness as it is.
‘something like’ indicates a suggestion not a demand.
Something that’s more useful than sitting around twiddling thumbs and bemoaning that things aren’t relevant anymore … then goping apeshit when China or North Korea do the irrelevant thing.
No, the attack is too precise. Experts say that destroying a reinforced conrete bridge is too difficult, can’t be done with explosives merely carried by special forces nor a missile, and requires a serious amount of explosives and for it to explode at the correct place. This isn’t an accident. I believe the most likely explanation is a massive vehicle born explosive in a truck.
Sorry but cantilevered bridges aren’t that difficult to make fall down, they just fall down by themselves 
you can see it’s just 1 section. A carrige exploding full of military grade explosives would be more than sufficient (particularly if there were structural problems with the bridge any way). The rail bridge withstood the blast, I think that is a significant sign.
Of course I’m no expert but nor is twitter or internet where fabrication is much more widespread than in my thoughts. @Noo_Noo would know more than me but when a nuclear plant construction is halted as the ‘reinforced’ concrete isn’t up to specs then I reckon there’s hundreds and thousands of bridges that wouldn’t withstand a blast and I’d bet you the maintenance isn’t up to much.
Well Palle Ystebø, chief of the Land War department of the norewegian War School claims these types of bridges are the most difficult to blow up and requires precisly placed explosives and a fuck ton of it. I trust him way more than your definite non-expert opinion. You should, really, know by now, that I don’t write such claims without having at least read an expert opinion …