Ukraine and the Russian invasion, 2022-24

[spitfire]

I have my doubts that was a truck bomb - on some of the other clips there is very little debris even close to the site of the blast, and the damage is very localised:



If I had to guess then its either a really small bomb which set either the fuel truck or (more likely) one of the rail cars into a BLEVE (which then caused another BLEVE as the other object blew up), or its happened as a freak accident. I lean towards the latter, mainly because of the extreme difficulty that someone would have to time that so accurately (as in to time it when the truck passed the train above a weak joint in the roadway) - which also to me makes a missile or drone strike unlikely too. Only God is usually that precise.

What's a BLEVE?

 

[not-bono-ever]

That’s a serious action innit

 

[prunus]

What's a BLEVE?

Boiling liquid expanding vapour explosion. According to google.

 

[Kaka Tim]

Boiling liquid expanding vapour explosion. According to google.

Like lightning a fart?

 

[agricola]

What's a BLEVE?

one of these (sorry for the DM branded content):

 

[spitfire]

one of these (sorry for the DM branded content):

Holy shit!

 

[kebabking]

I saw someone - and not for the first time - describe Ukrainian SF/Int as having the ruthlessness and imagination of the Soviets, the mindset of the Israelis, and the tech of NATO.

Not a poor analysis imv.

 

[spitfire]

An expert speaks.

 

[existentialist]

They should have used navy seals.

That reminds me of a joke, the punchline of which was "Nah, mate, blown a seal".

 

[maomao]

The Russians reckon they'll have the trains running again by 8pm:

Three killed as huge explosion causes key Crimea-Russia road bridge to collapse – as it happened

Blast early on Saturday causes road bridge to collapse and engulfs rail bridge in flames

www.theguardian.com

 

[existentialist]

Apparently all the holiday makers in Crimea have had their hotel stays extended.

Indefinitely.

 

[Bingoman]

The Russians reckon they'll have the trains running again by 8pm:

Three killed as huge explosion causes key Crimea-Russia road bridge to collapse – as it happened

Blast early on Saturday causes road bridge to collapse and engulfs rail bridge in flames

www.theguardian.com

Yeah right and pigs can fly

 

[maomao]

Well the rail bridge hasn't collapsed. I hope for their train crews' sake they don't try and use it if it's structurally unsound.

 

[2hats]

Zaporizhzhia NPP has lost all external power and now on generators only.

Zaporizhzhia plant down to diesel generators as shelling cuts power line

Overnight shelling cut the power line supplying Ukraine's Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, forcing it to switch to emergency diesel generators, Ukraine's state nuclear company and the U.N. atomic watchdog said on Saturday.

www.reuters.com

 

[maomao]

In fact they're now saying traffic will resume on the road bridge soon. I wouldn't want to drive over it. It feels like they're desperate to not have to respond. If the link between Russia and Crimea has been severed it would have been very hard not to.

Russia-Ukraine war live: three killed as huge explosion causes key Crimea-Russia road bridge to collapse

Blast early on Saturday causes road bridge to collapse and engulfs rail bridge in flames

www.theguardian.com

 

[steveo87]

What's a BLEVE?

(Later to the party, sorry)
When you want to believe in Father Christmas, but not much.

 

[MickiQ]

If this is an accident then not only does God exist but he's flying a Ukrainian flag over the Pearly Gates. My theory supported by no evidence whatsoever is that it was a bomb stuck to the bottom of one of the tanker wagons in the train.
Wouldn't have to be all that big since the Russians have helpfully supplied most of the explosives themselves.
If it was it was planted inside Russia itself, It would take Hollywood blockbuster level balls of steel to pull it off but the Ukrainians and especially the UA have proven time and time again they have a generous supply of such people.

 

[SpookyFrank]

Like lightning a fart?

If you have liquid farts, those aren't farts

 

[existentialist]

If this is an accident then not only does God exist but he's flying a Ukrainian flag over the Pearly Gates. My theory supported by no evidence whatsoever is that it was a bomb stuck to the bottom of one of the tanker wagons in the train.
Wouldn't have to be all that big since the Russians have helpfully supplied most of the explosives themselves.
If it was it was planted inside Russia itself, It would take Hollywood blockbuster level balls of steel to pull it off but the Ukrainians and especially the UA have proven time and time again they have a generous supply of such people.

On the balance of probabilities, I think a bomb on, or under (naval drone ship?) the bridge is a far more likely option.

 

[planetgeli]

It feels like they're desperate to not have to respond.

Que? I'm pretty sure Putin won't let this go.

 

[Artaxerxes]

Que? I'm pretty sure Putin won't let this go.

Putin has lost the initiative and seems to be only capable of throwing out cruise missiles at kids at this point.

Potentially able to lob a nuke but that I hope is an escalation to far even for him

 

[MickiQ]

On the balance of probabilities, I think a bomb on, or under (naval drone ship?) the bridge is a far more likely option.

Definitely another sound possibility but considering it went off just a train full of highly inflammable fuel went over, it was either the luckiest shot in military history or the Ukrainians are getting great intelligence from somewhere.
This is a(nother) massive fucking blow for the Russian invasion anyways you look at.

 

[alex_]

Well the rail bridge hasn't collapsed. I hope for their train crews' sake they don't try and use it if it's structurally unsound.

Now everyone knows the Ukrainians can hit it, the bridge is living on borrowed time.

Though fair play for blowing up the road bridge and also setting fire to a fuel train at the same time.

The affect on morale is the most important thing here.

Alex

 

[maomao]

Que? I'm pretty sure Putin won't let this go.

And if I lived in Ukraine I'd be sleeping in a bomb shelter for the next few nights but aside from the random rocket attacks and nukes he doesn't have much to respond with. And his army is in no position to benefit from nukes at the moment.

 

[existentialist]

Definitely another sound possibility but considering it went off just a train full of highly inflammable fuel went over, it was either the luckiest shot in military history or the Ukrainians are getting great intelligence from somewhere.
This is a(nother) massive fucking blow for the Russian invasion anyways you look at.

I think "great intelligence" is a given. Either by their own observations, or some really good RTI from "friends".

 

[existentialist]

Now everyone knows the Ukrainians can hit it, the bridge is living on borrowed time.

Though fair play for blowing up the road bridge and also setting fire to a fuel train at the same time.

The affect on morale is the most important thing here.

Alex

Yeah. This is a big factor. It's not just that they hit the bridge - it's that the world (including Russkiy Mir) knows that they can hit the bridge. All the more reason for them not saying how they did it.

 

[Raheem]

 

[Kevbad the Bad]

View attachment 346282

The only problem is they can only go so far, and then have to turn round and come back.

 

[steveo87]

View attachment 346282

 

[frogwoman]

Tbh wouldn't surprise me if that's true, when i was there refurbishments on the Moscow tube that would take weeks or longer here took a couple of days , dunno how safe it is mind you