'Bomb Tower Bridge': Top Putin ally calls for revenge strike on London over deadly Crimean bridge explosion

Following a deadly explosion on the Kerch Bridge in Russian-occupied Crimea, a Putin ally and Russian propagandist has called for an attack on Tower Bridge in London as revenge.   

The bridge was damaged in what is believed to have been a kamikaze drone attack, resulting in the deaths of two civilians.

There’s currently no evidence of British involvement in the attack, and suggested reprisals of such a scale against the UK by Russia would likely trigger a devastating war against NATO if they were ever carried out.

Fortunately, it’s very likely these statements are nothing but bluster, coming as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine approaches its 17th month with very little to show for it on the Russian side.

Crimea bridge blast - what happened?

A bomb explosion occurred this morning (17 July) on the Kerch Bridge (also known as the Crimean Bridge). The $3.7 billion, 12-mile long bridge, opened in 2018, and is the only land route linking Russia to Crimea. 

The explosion is believed to have been the result of an unmanned kamikaze marine drone launched by Ukrainian forces.  

Two people, believed to be Russian citizens, were killed in the blast, and a third was seriously injured.

Natalya Kulik, 36, and her husband Alexei, 40, were in their car near one of the blasts and died as a result of the explosion. Their daughter, Angelina, 14, suffered body wounds, a broken nose and concussion and is receiving treatment in hospital.

Although there is no evidence of British involvement in the attack on Kerch Bridge, Russian authorities have laid the blame on British intelligence services.

Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman, Maria Zakharova, claimed: “The decision to attack the Crimean Bridge is made by Ukrainian officials and the military, with the participation of American and British intelligence services.” 

What has Putin’s ally said about bombing London?

Margaret Simonyan is editor-in-chief of the Russian state controlled news group RT, which lost its Ofcom licence to broadcast on television in the UK last year due its irresponsible coverage of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. 

Simonyan is a close ally or President Putin and also voiced concerns that British intelligence was behind the Kerch Bridge attack.

She then called for an attack on the UK as revenge for the Kerch blast. She said: "Does this make Tower Bridge a legitimate target? For me, that's quite it.”

Tower Bridge, in the centre of London, was built in the late 19th century and crosses the River Thames from Tower Hamlets to Southwark. It is crossed by around 40,000 people and more than 21,000 vehicles daily.