Long traffic jams reported to and fro Crimea after bridge blast

Mariupol City Council deputy Dmytro Zabavin says that after the attack on the Crimean bridge, traffic jams have emerged coming from the Rostov region towards the temporarily occupied Mariupol

He said this on Espreso TV. 

"The situation for the occupying Russian forces is really tense now. From the Rostov region, kilometer-long traffic jams can be seen along the Taganrog highway. These are civilian cars and military equipment of the Russian troops. So it is obvious that after the Crimean bridge was damaged, the logistics situation for the occupiers will become more complicated," Zabavin said.

The deputy of the Mariupol City Council added that the Russian forces cannot use the land corridor to Crimea through the occupied territories to its full capacity.

"After the damage to the Crimean bridge, it will be harder for Russian tourists to get to Crimea. They have nothing to do on Ukrainian soil at all. The same applies to invading Russian forces, who also need to get off Ukrainian soil. Even the possibility of a land corridor through the occupied territories will not allow to fully meet the needs of the occupiers," he added.

Anton Gerashchenko, an adviser to Ukraine’s Internal Affairs Ministry, has published a screenshot that shows the 10-km-long traffic jam for people trying to leave Crimea. According to the Russian official data, there are 50,000 tourists in Crimea now.

Multi-kilometer traffic jams have formed on the way to Crimea from Russian-occupied city of Melitopol and back, Russia's RIA Novosti news agency reported. Traffic jams stretch from 4 to 6 km in various sections, according to a RIA Novosti correspondent.