Russia ‘fears Wagner fighters are plotting attack on £3billion Crimean Bridge’ with tourists flocking to Black Sea peninsula queuing for up to seven hours as guards search every car for explosives
- Tourists flocking to popular Black Sea peninsula faced strict security checks
- Russia fears a deadly new bomb attack from Wagner following a blast in October
Russia has fears that Wagner fighters are plotting an attack on the £3billion Crimean Bridge, it has been claimed – as tourists flocking to the Black Sea peninsula faced queues of up to seven hours while guards search every car for explosives.
Intense security checks were imposed over the weekend as passengers attempted to make their way across the ten-mile-long bridge linking annexed Crimea to the Russian mainland.
Moscow is understood to be on high alert amid fears that disgruntled Wagner rebels could plot an attack after their mercenary army was axed by Vladimir Putin in the wake of their mutiny.
It comes after the bridge – hailed as ‘the construction of the century’ when it was opened in 2018 – was heavily damaged in a mysterious bomb blast in October.
The bridge carries both road and rail traffic across the Kerch Strait between Russia and Crimea – which Moscow annexed in 2014. Three people were killed by the truck bomb – which Russia claimed was a terrorist act by Ukraine.
Russia has fears that Wagner fighters are plotting an attack on the £3billion Crimean Bridge. PIctured: Exiled Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin
The Kremlin is understood to be on high alert amid fears that disgruntled Wagner rebels could plot an attack after their mercenary army was axed by Vladimir Putin (pictured) in the wake of their mutiny
Intense security checks were imposed as passengers attempted to make their way across the ten-mile-long bridge linking annexed Crimea to the Russian mainland
A bomb blast in October on a truck crossing the bridge caused major damage to the Kerch Strait crossing which has since been repaired
Now the concerns are that Wagner fighters could stage an attack due to their anger that Putin may be reneging on a deal with the private army’s leader Yevgeny Prigozhin in return for halting their armed revolt last month.
READ MORE: Russian rebel warlord Prigozhin builds new base for 8,000 men from his Wagner private army in Belarus, satellite pictures show
‘Obviously, saboteurs are expected in Crimea,’ stated Telegram channel InformNapalm.
‘These were likely from Russia. And who is the most terrible saboteur in Russia now?
‘That’s right, Wagner PMC [Private Military Company] rebels.
‘It is possible that some attentive people passed information to the FSB that the Wagnerites are preparing to bring explosives and ammunition to Crimea, because the agreements on the part of the Kremlin have not been fully implemented.’
Heavy searches on the bridge involved sending children for X-rays and inspecting the glove compartments of cars, the pro-Ukrainian outlet said.
Following Prigozhin’s attempted coup, some of his Wagner fighters are expected to join him in his exile in Belarus, while others will join the Russian state army.
Russian officials remain paranoid over a new attack on the ten miles crossing (pictured) built as a vanity project by Vladimir Putin
Heavy searches on the bridge involved sending children for X-rays and inspecting the glove compartments of cars
Tourists were seen getting impatient with the security checks as Russian officials were on high alert
Tourists were flocking to the occupied Black Sea peninsula but every vehicle is being scrupulously searched for explosives
Yesterday, new satellite pictures showed that Prigozhin has built a new base for 8,000 of his Wagner fighters in Belarus.
Moving to Belarus was part of the deal the Kremlin struck with Prigozhin to end last weekend’s rebellion that represented the biggest threat to Putin’s authority since he took office more than 20 years ago and led the Russian despot to raise fears of a civil war.
Prigozhin and his fighters escaped prosecution and were offered refuge in Belarus by authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko, who said his country could use their experience and expertise and offered the paramilitary group an ‘abandoned military unit’ to set up camp.
Now just days after their arrival, images provided by Planet Labs PLC show that dozens of tents have been erected within the past two weeks at the former military base outside Osipovichi, a Belarusian town 142 miles north of the Ukrainian border.
Black smoke billows from a fire on the Kerch bridge that links the Crimean peninsula to Russia
The blast ripped through the road and rail bridge which connects Crimea to Russia, killing three people, causing damage and igniting a huge fire. Pictured: The bridge on fire after the explosion on October 8
The bridge is important for Moscow, a vital transport link for moving military equipment to Russian soldiers fighting in Ukraine. Pictured: Workers restore the railway tracks on the Kerch bridge after the explosion
Pictured: Repair works are carried out on the Kerch bridge on November 19
It comes as many Wagner fighters are said to be unhappy over the choices they have been given and the winding down of the private mercenary group.
The Putin-appointed official in charge of transport in Crimea Nikolai Lukashenko said addressed the chaos on the Kerch Strait by saying: ‘Staff numbers on the inspection lines have been increased and control over their work has been strengthened.
‘We apologise to citizens for the inconvenience.’
One angry waiting tourist said: ‘The situation is a nightmare. We didn’t sleep at night….
‘We are practically without water, food, and we have two small children….
‘The system is completely dysfunctional.’
Another complained: ‘We stood for three hours without moving.’
Many Russians cannot travel to Mediterranean destinations this summer because of visa curbs and Western sanctions due to Putin’s raging war against Ukraine.
They are flocking to Crimea instead – even though it is potentially a war target.
The Russian rouble has also plummeted due to Putin’s war making foreign travel out of reach for millions, leading them to risk summer vacations in the region.
Crimea is now in range of UK-supplied Storm Shadow missiles, but tourists are still surging to the stunning peninsula.
This is despite many beaches being dug with trenches in case Ukraine mounts a counteroffensive to grab back its territory.
Prigozhin appears to have built an army base (pictured) in Belarus for 8,000 of his fighters, satellite images show
Reports also suggest some beaches have been mined by the Russians in the traditional summer season vacation playground.
Elsewhere, Ukrainian president Volodymr Zelensky has warned that a ‘serious threat’ remains at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant amid fears Putin’s troops are preparing to blow up the facility.
He said Russia was ‘technically ready’ to provoke a localised explosion at the facility, citing Ukrainian intelligence as the source.
It comes after Russia launched an overnight drone attack on Kyiv and the surrounding region after a 12-day break.
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