BREAKING – Crimean bridge fire caused by a truck explosion, Russian officials say

Russian authorities claim that a truck explosion set off a large fire at the bridge connecting Russia and Crimea. At least three people were killed in the explosion, Russian officials said.

Interfax agency was informed by Russian emergency services that the fire had been put out. Even though traffic has resumed in a limited manner, trains are delayed, with the ferry service expected to begin operations later Saturday.

The blast "set fire to seven oil tankers being carried by rail to Crimea," Russian news agencies cited the national anti-terrorism committee as saying. Russia launched a criminal investigation into the incident.

The road running along that part of the bridge was also badly damaged, according to the reports. 

The 19-kilometer bridge (12-mile) holds symbolic importance for Russian President Vladimir Putin because it is a tangible symbol of Moscow's claims on the Crimean peninsula. It is also used by Moscow to transport military equipment into the south of Ukraine. 

Here are more details about the war, or news related to the war, starting October 8.

Crimean bridge blast a 'terrorist attack' — Russian lawmaker

Leonid Sluzki, a Russian lawmaker and expert in foreign policy, called the explosion that destroyed part of the Kerch Bridge "terrorist attacks."

Sluzki stated that "consequences would be inevitable" if Ukraine is proven to have carried out the attack. He said that Russia had had previous experience in fighting terrorists, and that the attack on the bridge must be stopped.

Sluzki stated that "This could be an act state terrorism, for which, as you see, there is applause at European capitals."

Sluzki is the head of Russia's Foreign Affairs Committee. He is the leader and founder of the right-wing, nationalist Liberal Democratic Party, which Vladimir Zhirinovsky founded earlier this year.

Moscow-installed official announces that the Crimean bridge is now open to passengers trains.

Moscow-backed Crimean leader Sergei Aksyonov announced that the Kerch Bridge was partially reopened for rail traffic.

Telegram user Aksyonov stated in a post that the bridge was closed to trucks at the moment.

Russian rail operator Grand Service Express said that the first two trains out of Crimean cities Simferopol and Sevastopol departed for Moscow and St Petersburg at 17:10 and 17:15 local time (1410 and 1415 GMT).

Russia's Transport Ministry stated earlier that two unaffected lanes were still being used.

NATO should do more to counter Putin's 'delusions of grandeur', says German defense minister

Christine Lambrecht, German Defense Minister, stated that NATO should do more against Russia. She made the remarks Saturday while visiting German troops in Lithuania.

Lambrecht stated that the current situation meant member states had to work together more and that it was impossible to predict "how far Putin can go with his grandiose fantasies of grandeur."

She added that Russia's war of aggression in Ukraine was getting more "unscrupulous" and Russia's threat of nuclear weapons showed that Russian authorities have no "scruples." 

Russia claims that limited traffic has been resumed on the Crimean bridge

Russia's Transport Ministry stated that traffic for cars and buses has resumed on the intact lanes of Crimean bridge after the explosion early Saturday morning.

Traffic would be restricted to crossing between Crimea and the Russian Taman peninsula in opposite directions.

Sergey Aksyonov is the head of the Russian occupation government for Crimea. He stated on social media that heavy goods would need to wait to be crossed by ferry.

The extent of the damage caused by the explosion is still not known.

Russia names new top commander for Ukraine 

According to a statement released Saturday by Russia's Defense Ministry, General Sergei Surovikin has been named the new top commander of all Russian forces in Ukraine. 

Surovikin, 55, was born in Siberia's Novosibirsk and has combat experience in the 1990s conflicts in Tajikistan and Chechnya. From April 2019 to September 2019, he was also the commander for Russian forces in Syria. 

Russia fired two commanders from Russia's five military areas earlier this week, it was reported. 

The Saturday reshuffle comes as Russia continues to suffer military setbacks from Ukraine despite having illegally annexed 4 regions of Ukraine. 

Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant switches to diesel generators as shelling cuts power line

Overnight shelling has cut the power line supplying the  Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, forcing it to switch to emergency diesel generators, the International Atomic Energy Agency said on Saturday.

 Zaporizhzhia was Europe's largest nuclear power plant. It was taken by Russian forces in March, but is still being managed by Ukrainian staff. The last operating reactor of the plant was closed earlier this September.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said Sunday that hitting the plant's sole source of external power was  "tremendously irresponsible."

Rafael Grossi, the head of IAEA, said that the nuclear plant "must be protected" and has called for a demilitarized zone around the facility. 

Even though Zaporizhzhia's six reactors are shut down, the nuclear fuel in them still needs cooling to prevent a nuclear meltdown. This requires constant electricity supply. 

Criticism aimed at Russian high command increasing, says UK intelligence

After the continued setbacks suffered by Moscow in the last two weeks, the UK's Defense Ministry stated that more people from Russia are joining the chorus of criticism against the Russian military high command.

Critics have included Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov and Wagner group private military company owner Yevgeny Prigozhin, state-approved TV presenters and pop stars, according to the UK intelligence update.  

Kadyrov and Prigozhin are likely being perceived as informal figureheads of the  "pro-war" bloc whose criticism hinges on arguments for greater state commitment and willingness to escalate, according to the intelligence update. 

Ukrainian reaction shows its 'terrorist' nature, says Russia

Maria Zakharova (spokesperson for Russia's Foreign Ministry) criticized Kyiv's response on the Kerch bridge incident.

Telegram: Zakharova stated that the Kyiv regime's reaction to the destruction civilian infrastructure reveals its terrorist nature.

Some Ukrainian officials sent gleeful messages about the fire, but they did not claim direct responsibility.  

Russia holds Crimea as a symbol of its importance and it is crucial to the survival of military operations in the south Ukraine. 

Mykhailo podolyak, a Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zeleskyy's adviser, stated on Twitter: "Crimea is the bridge, the beginning."

"Everything illegal must be destroyed, everything stolen must be returned to Ukraine, everything occupied by Russia must be expelled," Podolyak added. 

Top Crimea lawmaker blames 'Ukrainian vandals'

Vladimir Konstantinov, head of the Crimean Parliament, stated that the bridge was damaged due to "Ukrainian vandals."

"They now have something to be proud of: for 23 years of their economic management they did not manage to build anything worthy of attention in Crimea, but they managed to damage the floor of the Russian bridge," he added on his Telegram channel.

Russian President Vladimir Putin directed the creation of a committee to investigate causes of the explosion. The committee stated that it had sent detectives on the scene.

Social media videos showed dramatic footage of the bridge on fire and partially falling into the sea.

The Kerch bridge is 19 kilometers long (11.8 miles) and was built by Russia after it declared Crimea to be Russian territory in 2014 in an illegal move condemned by much of the international community.

IMF approves funds of $1.3 billion for Ukraine

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) on Friday approved additional emergency funding of $1.3 billion (€1.33 billion), to support the Ukrainian economy.

The funding comes from a new emergency lending program and will help Ukraine curb financial losses, including the loss of grain export revenues.

"The scale and intensity of Russia's war against Ukraine that started more than seven months ago have caused tremendous human suffering and economic pain," the IMF said. The IMF also praised Ukraine's government, praising its financial stability in a difficult period.

The IMF said the Ukrainian economy is forecast to contract by 35% in 2022. 

Explosions rock Kharkiv

In the early hours Saturday morning, explosions were heard in Kharkiv, a northeastern Ukrainian city. They sent plumes of smoke into space. After the initial blasts, a second round of explosions could be heard.

The cause of the blasts was not immediately known. However, Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov wrote on Telegram that missile strikes had hit a medical facility and a commercial building. 

Russia-backed forces claim victory in Donetsk

Russian-backed proxy forces claimed they had captured Donetsk, east Ukraine. 

Separatist forces said they had captured several villages near Bakhmut, an industrial town that has been subjected to weeks of Russian shelling.

Bakhmut journalists of AFP reported hearing heavy artillery and rocket launchers.

The claims of new gains come as the Russian military, along with fighters from self-declared "republics" in eastern Ukraine, have been confronted with a Ukrainian counteroffensive that has pushed Russian forces out of territory in the east and south.

Late Friday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Ukrainian forces "this week alone" liberated 776 square kilometers of territory in Ukraine's east and 29 settlements, including six in the Luhansk region.

Mass burial site discovered near Lyman, Ukraine

Ukrainian authorities said Friday that a mass grave has been uncovered near the eastern town of Lyman following the withdrawal of Russian troops. 

Donetsk regional governor Pavlo Kyrylenko announced the discovery in a post on his Telegram channel along with images of crosses and crews in protective white suits digging through mounds of soil. 

Kyrylenko stated that the victims could have been soldiers or civilians. Exhumations are ongoing and an investigation into the number is underway. 

Kyrylenko stated that 200 graves "where civilians were buried" were also found in the area.

Lyman, a strategically important town located in the eastern Donetsk region, was liberated Saturday from Russian occupation.

Ukrainian officials have said Russian forces occupying Ukrainian territory have routinely committed rights abuses and atrocities.

Moscow denies all allegations, despite mounting evidence pointing to a Russian role for the torture and deaths of thousands of Ukrainians during the occupation by Russian forces.

Before Kyrylenko's announcement Friday, Ukrainian First Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs Yevhen Yenin said that 530 bodies of civilians have been found in Ukraine's northeastern Kharkivregion since September 7. 

Most of the bodies were among the 436 exhumed from unmarked graves following the Russian withdrawal from the northeastern town of Izium.

Local officials said that many of the bodies had suffered injuries consistent with violent deaths.

Zelenskyy rules out 'preemptive' strikes on Russia

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Friday evening appeared to roll back statements he made Thursday calling for "preemptive strikes" to prevent Russia from using nuclear weapons. 

The Kremlin quickly reacted and accused the Ukrainian president of inciting calls for nuclear war. 

Zelenskyy stated that the West must use preventive kicks and not attacks in an interview with BBC. This may refer to the use of sanctions as a deterrent. 

Zelenskyy also warned Russia that it has begun to prepare its citizens in advance for the use of a small, tactical nuclear weapon.

"They prepare their society. This is very dangerous," Zelenskyy stated.

More DW content about the war in Ukraine

In an opinion piece, DW's Miodrag Soric says the 2022 Nobel Peace Prize winners focusing on civil rights in Russia is a "slap in the face" for Vladimir Putin. 

In an exclusive interview with DW, Pakistani Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto rejected the need for Pakistan to take sides in the Ukraine conflict. 

DW also examines who supplies Russia with drones.

rm, ar/sms (Reuters, AP, dpa, AFP, Interfax)