Ukrainians Send Putin an Explosive Birthday Present

On the 8th of October, the day after Putin celebrated his 70th birthday, a “landmark bridge built by Vladmir Putin to link the annexed Crimean peninsula to Russia was seriously damaged” following a massive explosion in which at least three people were killed.

Military experts have already told of a “turning point” in the war as Ukrainian forces, propelled by recent military aid, have gained ground in the East of Ukraine. The bridge in question, costing four billion USD, had been financed by the Russian government following it’s annexation of Crimea in 2014. The structure was a critical twenty kilometre link across the Kerch Strait, linking Crimea to the Russian mainland. It comes at a particularly tumultuous time in the conflict which started back in February, as President Putin threatens to use nuclear weapons against Ukraine and energy shortages build up across Europe.

While neither party in the ongoing conflict has claimed responsibility for the attack which left three dead, the response in Ukraine has hinted at a greater involvement in the incident. This was Oleksiy Danilov’s, secretary of Ukraine’s national security council, reaction:

“Happy Birthday, Mr. President”. (Sources: The Times)