At least three people were killed in the explosion on the Kerch bridge early Saturday, according to Russia's Investigative Committee, citing preliminary information.
In a statement on its Telegram channel, the Committee said: "According to preliminary information, three people died as a result of the incident. These are, presumably, the passengers of a car that was next to the blown-up truck.
"Currently, the bodies of two victims have already been taken from the water -- a man and a woman, their identities are being established."
The Committee also expanded on its earlier statement that a truck on the bridge had blown up.
"The investigators of the Russian Investigative Committee also established the data of the truck and its owner. This is a resident of the Krasnodar Krai, investigative actions have been launched at his place of residence. The route of movement of the vehicle and the relevant documentation are being studied."
6:28 a.m. ET, October 8, 2022
Russian officials say road truck was "blown up" on Kerch bridge
From CNN's Tim Lister, Eyad Turki and Daria Tarasova
Russian officials suggest that the explosion on the Kerch road and rail crossing between Russia and annexed Crimea was caused by a truck blowing up on the road bridge.
The spokeswoman for the Russian Investigative committee, Svetlana Petrenko, said the committee "has opened a criminal case about the incident at the Crimean Bridge. According to preliminary information, this morning a truck was blown up on the automobile part of the Crimean Bridge from the Taman Peninsula [the westbound lanes of the bridge], which led to the ignition of seven fuel tanks of a train travelling toward the Crimean Peninsula."
"As a result, two car lanes of the bridge partially collapsed."
CNN is unable to verify the Russian explanation for the explosion. Ukraine has not acknowledged that its armed forces were responsible for the explosion.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova condemned the favorable response among Ukrainian officials to the explosion, saying: "The reaction of the Kyiv regime to the destruction of civilian infrastructure testifies to its terrorist nature."
6:56 a.m. ET, October 8, 2022
There's no change in US nuclear posture, sources say, despite Biden's "Armageddon" warning on Putin’s threats
From CNN's Jeremy Diamond
US President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin. (Getty Images)
"We haven't seen any indication of activity [from Russia] that would cause us to change our own nuclear deterrent posture," the senior official said, adding that the US continues to monitor Russian military movements for any change in its nuclear stance.
While this official would not go so far as Biden in saying that the world faces the prospect of nuclear crisis for the first time since the 1960s, the official said that "the stakes are clearly higher right now" as a result of a string of military setbacks Russia is facing in Ukraine.
The official said Biden was speaking "frankly" based on Russian President Vladimir Putin’s "irresponsible and reckless" rhetoric, but not based on any new information about Russia's nuclear posture.
What Biden said Thursday night: During a Democratic fundraiser in New York, Biden delivered a stark warning about the dangers behind Putin’s nuclear threats as Moscow continues to face military setbacks in Ukraine.
“First time since the Cuban missile crisis, we have a direct threat of the use (of a) nuclear weapon if in fact things continue down the path they are going,” Biden warned. He added: “I don’t think there’s any such thing as the ability to easily (use) a tactical nuclear weapon and not end up with Armageddon.”
CNN's Sam Fossum, Kaitlan Collins and Paul LeBlanc contributed reporting to this post.
6:24 a.m. ET, October 8, 2022
Weather conditions are prohibiting Russian ferries from reaching Crimea, further threatening transport links
From CNN's Niamh Kennedy and Kostan Nechyporenko
Weather conditions in the Kerch Strait are hindering Russia’s plans to use ferries to reach Crimea from Krasnodar, according to Russian state media.
“Weather conditions do not allow the launch of a ferry crossing from Crimea on October 8,” TASS said Saturday, citing “authorities.”
Earlier Saturday, major transport links between mainland Russia and the annexed peninsula of Crimea -- including buses and trains -- were suspended, following an explosion on Kerch bridge.
Prior to the weather warning, authorities had planned to use “at least four or five ferries” to organize communication between Crimea and Krasnodar according to TASS.
5:36 a.m. ET, October 8, 2022
Cargo train in Russian-occupied Donetsk region hit by “powerful explosion,” says Ukrainian official
From CNN’s Kostan Nechyporenko and Teele Rebane
A cargo train in Ilovaisk in the Russian-occupied Donetsk region was hit by a “powerful explosion” on October 8. (Press Service of the Ministry of Emergency Situations of the DPR)
A cargo train in Ilovaisk in the Russian-occupied Donetsk region was hit by a “powerful explosion” Saturday morning local time, according to the adviser to the Mariupol Mayor Petro Andrushenko.
“Not only Crimea. Not only fuel tanks. There is also a cargo train in Ilovaisk. Locals report a rather powerful explosion and subsequent detonation at night. The occupiers now have big problems with supplies from both sides,” Andrushenko said, referring to the explosion involving a tanker on the Kerch bridge that links Russia’s Krasnodar region with the Russian-annexed Crimean peninsula.
Pro-Russian authorities in the self-declared republic of Donetsk confirmed the incident, releasing video Saturday showing the fire’s aftermath at a local railway station. It is unclear yet if there were casualties in the blast.
9:42 a.m. ET, October 8, 2022
Ukrainian Energy Minister warns of possible nuclear accident at Zaporizhzhia as Russian shelling continues
From CNN's Xiaofei Xu and Olga Voitovych
Ukrainian’s Energy Minister Herman Halushchenko has repeated warnings about a disaster at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. (Thierry Monasse/Getty Images)
Ukraine's Energy Minister Herman Halushchenko reiterated warnings that a disaster at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant could be on the horizon after it was once again disconnected from Ukraine's main grid on Saturday.
“Now only the professionalism of Ukrainian nuclear workers is a fuse against a possible nuclear accident,” Halushchenko wrote in a Facebook post.
Some background: The Zaporizhzhia plant has been subject to intense scrutiny since its occupation shortly after Russia’s invasion in late February. Intense shelling near the facility this summer sparked concerns of a nuclear accident, prompting the International Atomic Energy Agency to send a team there. The plant has been disconnected from Ukraine’s power grid on several occasions in recent months due to shelling, according to Ukrainian authorities.
The plant sits in the Russian-occupied part of the Zaporizhzhia region and is the largest in Europe. It has been held by Russian forces for more than seven months but is operated by its Ukrainian staff.
The head of the UN’s nuclear watchdog, Rafael Grossi, was in Kyiv on Thursday to discuss his calls to establish a nuclear safety zone around the plant “as soon as possible,” the IAEA said in a statement. Grossi will also visit Russia in the coming days.
Grossi said at a news conference that it’s still unclear what the “practical consequences” were of Russia’s decision to seize the plant, but he would be discussing those matters in high-level meetings in Moscow. He also said that the IAEA considers the facility Ukrainian.
Power line damaged: The last power line connecting the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant to Ukraine’s power grid was damaged and disconnected due to shelling from Russian forces, Ukraine's nuclear operator Energoatom reported earlier Saturday.
The powerplant is now relying on diesel generators, which have capacity to provide the plant with electricity for 10 days, according to Energoatom.
“The civilized world has already given a clear assessment of Russia's actions, but the nuclear terrorist continues its blackmail. And they may only be stopped by tough sanctions, primarily against the nuclear industry,” Halushchenko said.
Major transport links between Crimea and mainland Russia suspended
From CNN's Niamh Kennedy and Tim Lister
Traffic is seen on the bridge across the Kerch Strait linking Russia's Taman Peninsula with Crimea, in Kerch, Crimea on Wednesday, May 16, 2018. (AP)
Major transport links between mainland Russia and the annexed peninsula of Crimea have been suspended, following an explosion on Kerch bridge on Saturday morning.
State-owned rail company Russian Railways announced the suspension of all train ticket sales from Russia to Crimea, according to Russian state news agency TASS.
All bus services from Crimea to mainland Russia were canceled on Saturday, TASS said.
As authorities get to grips with the incident, at least four or five ferries will be used to organize communication between Crimea and the Russian mainland territory, Krasnodar Territory, TASS reported citing the maritime services of the Kuban.
4:56 a.m. ET, October 8, 2022
Ukrainian Defense Ministry says Kerch -"symbol of Russian power" - is down
From CNN's Tim Lister
In a brief posting on its official Twitter account, the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense reacted to the explosion on the Kerch bridge, saying: "The guided missile cruiser Moskva and the Kerch Bridge – two notorious symbols of Russian power in Ukrainian Crimea – have gone down. What’s next in line, Russkies?"
Ukraine says it hit the Moskva with anti-ship cruise missiles, which sparked a fire that detonated stored ammunition. The Moskva was armed with a range of anti-ship and anti-aircraft missiles as well as torpedoes, naval guns and missile defense systems, meaning it would have had massive amounts of explosives aboard.
Russia’s Defense Ministry, however, says a fire of unknown origin detonated the ammunition and the resulting explosions left the Moskva with structural damage. It says the warship then sank amid rough seas as it was being towed to a nearby port.
4:30 a.m. ET, October 8, 2022
“Air defense of the Russian Federation, are you sleeping?” Ukrainian officials respond to Kerch bridge explosion
From CNN's Olga Voitovych, Kostan Nechyporenko, Josh Pennington and Hannah Ritchie
Surveillance footage from fixed cameras on the Kerch bridge shows the moment of a large explosion on the roadway, with some vehicles apparently caught in the blast on Saturday October 8. (Telegram)
Ukrainian officials have started responding to a fire involving a tanker on Kerch bridge in the Russian-annexed Crimean Peninsula on Saturday, without directly acknowledging that Ukraine was responsible for the explosion.
Vadym Denysenko, an adviser to the Interior Minister, said that "the Kerch bridge is a key logistical link that connects Russia with Crimea, and then with the Kherson region. As of now, the Russians have officially announced that the Kerch bridge is closed."
"Logistically, it is becoming increasingly difficult for them to supply everything possible, from food and fuel to the supply of weapons to Crimea and to the Kherson region. This is a big plus for us, Denysenko said on Ukrainian television. "A ferry crossing may partially solve the problem, but it depends on how many ferries they will launch and of what size. […] To do it all in one day or a few hours - it is almost unrealistic."
"Are you sleeping?": Meanwhile, the Navy of the Armed Forces of Ukraine responded to the blast on Facebook, posting, “Air defense of the Russian Federation, are you sleeping?” alongside a video showing a section of the bridge’s road that had been completely destroyed.
David Arakhamia, the head of Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky’s party in parliament and a member of Kyiv’s negotiating team with Russia released a Telegram statement about the incident, saying: “Russian illegal construction is starting to collapse and catch fire. The reason is simple: if you build something explosive, sooner or later, it will explode. And this is just the beginning.”
Mykhailo Podoliak, who serves as an adviser to Zelensky echoed the sentiment. “Crimea, the bridge, the beginning. Everything illegal must be destroyed, everything stolen must be returned to Ukraine, everything occupied by Russia must be expelled,” Podoliak said.
The official Twitter page of the Ukrainian government responded to images, memes and video of the Krech bridge explosion with a two-word comment:
