The blast on the bridge, which Russian Pres. Putin personally inaugurated in 2018, is not only a humiliating blow to Moscow but also a significant logistical setback that follows a procession of recent Russian defeats. While, admittedly, there are other options for supplying to Crimea, the damage to the bridge — regardless of the cause — brings a victorious end to Russia's notion that the peninsula is beyond Ukraine's reach.
With limited damage and railway and car traffic already restored, this latest incident is more symbolic than it is a logistical setback: Although the cause has yet to be established, the blast is alarmingly tinted with provocation from Ukrainian officials who have previously threatened to attack the bridge — a move that would open a pandora's box of destroying critical infrastructure. Russia has been swift to launch an investigation, and the blast will have little impact on Russia's control of Crimea.
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