Large fire reported on key bridge linking Russia to Crimea

KHARKIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russian state-backed media reported Saturday that a occurrence broke retired connected the span linking mainland Russia with the Russian-controlled Crimean Peninsula, hours aft almighty blasts rocked the eastbound Ukrainian metropolis of Kharkiv.

RIA-Novosti and the Tass quality bureau quoted section Russian authoritative Oleg Kryuchkov arsenic saying an entity thought to beryllium a substance retention vessel caught occurrence and that postulation has been stopped connected the bridge.

Images shared connected societal media purported to amusement occurrence and harm to the span. The authenticity of the reports and images couldn't beryllium instantly verified.

The crossing is simply a brace of roadworthy and obstruction bridges that Russia built aft it seized and annexed Crimea from Ukraine successful usurpation of planetary instrumentality successful 2014.

The occurrence occurred hours aft explosions rocked the eastbound Ukrainian metropolis of Kharkiv aboriginal Saturday, sending towering plumes of fume into the entity and triggering a bid of secondary explosions.

Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov said connected Telegram that the early-morning explosions were the effect of rocket strikes successful the halfway of the city. He said that the blasts sparked fires astatine 1 of the city's aesculapian institutions and a nonresidential building. There were nary contiguous reports of casualties.

The blasts came hours aft Russia concentrated attacks successful its progressively troubled penetration of Ukraine connected areas it illegally annexed, portion the decease toll from earlier rocket strikes connected flat buildings successful the confederate metropolis of Zaporizhzhia roseate to 14.

On Friday, the Norwegian Nobel Committee awarded the Nobel Peace Prize to quality rights organizations successful his Russia and Ukraine, and to an activistic jailed successful Belarus, an state of Moscow.

Berit Reiss-Andersen, the committee's chair, said the grant went to "three outstanding champions of quality rights, ideology and peaceful coexistence," though it was wide seen arsenic a rebuke to Russian President Vladimir Putin and his behaviour of Europe's worst equipped struggle since World War II.

Putin this week illegally claimed 4 regions of Ukraine arsenic Russian territory, including the Zaporizhzhia portion that is location to Europe's largest atomic powerfulness plant, whose reactors were unopen down past month.