Welcome to DU! The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards. Join the community: Create a free account Support DU (and get rid of ads!): Become a Star Member Latest Breaking News General Discussion The DU Lounge All Forums Issue Forums Culture Forums Alliance Forums Region Forums Support Forums Help & Search

sciencescience

(109 posts)
Sun Oct 9, 2022, 02:04 PM Oct 2022

theories on Crimean bridge explosion

(reasons why not)

truck bomb:
- would have to be driven through Russia (it was going towards Crimea)
- Russia has scanners for trucks going across the Crimean bridge
- would have to knowingly kill the civilian driver
- some analysis on Twitter shows the bridge was lifted up by an explosion from below, and there is no crater/curve seen in the remaining visible road pieces from an above ground explosion

missile:
- Ukraine doesn't publicly have missiles with that range from land
- ATACMS doesn't have a big enough warhead for that type of explosion
- a missile would have had to escape radar detection and no anti missile defenses fired
- a missile big enough to carry that amount of explosives could be seen with the naked eye

boat/semi-submersible/submarine:
- would have been seen by radar or someone
- one frame before the explosions shows a ball of light above the bridge

30 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight: NoneDon't highlight anything 5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
theories on Crimean bridge explosion (Original Post) sciencescience Oct 2022 OP
Simple solution: heroic Patron sneezed! SheltieLover Oct 2022 #1
Truck bomb seems least likely, even accounting for truck conspiracy theories. Tetrachloride Oct 2022 #2
Another theory: GoCubsGo Oct 2022 #3
It's not out of the realm of possibilities... Effete Snob Oct 2022 #6
Or, they're THAT desperate for cannon fodder. GoCubsGo Oct 2022 #10
Yet another: a former KGB agent decided to cut off retreat of soldiers who don't like his war Hermit-The-Prog Oct 2022 #29
Probably just spontaneous combustion Effete Snob Oct 2022 #4
Boat or submersible could make sense viva la Oct 2022 #5
Note: a boat could have slipped in unseen... getagrip_already Oct 2022 #7
Could covert divers have planted explosives? SheltieLover Oct 2022 #8
As long as they could swim a long, long, long way Effete Snob Oct 2022 #16
Maybe boated in & picked up? SheltieLover Oct 2022 #21
Well, that's the trick Effete Snob Oct 2022 #22
Ty for sharing SheltieLover Oct 2022 #23
Careless smoking Effete Snob Oct 2022 #24
No doubt there are many Ukrainian civilians TxGuitar Oct 2022 #25
It was a missile. For reasons of their own neither russia Tomconroy Oct 2022 #9
Does the bridge have an anti-missile defense system deployed? Effete Snob Oct 2022 #17
Seems Unlikely ProfessorGAC Oct 2022 #27
When in doubt GreenWave Oct 2022 #11
I like the boat theory. This guy discusses a washed up drone boat near savastopol. mitch96 Oct 2022 #12
Truck vs boat thoughts sanatanadharma Oct 2022 #13
Really, really good point Effete Snob Oct 2022 #15
The Truck Bomb Idea Has Another Problem ProfessorGAC Oct 2022 #28
Thank you, I have been wondering how to explain the water effect sanatanadharma Oct 2022 #30
Clearly the assault was orchestrated by Hillary Clinton bluecollar2 Oct 2022 #14
Probably won't know for sure, But i thought someone here mentioned that bluestarone Oct 2022 #18
The Neptune missile has a range of 286K, is mfg in Ukraine. It's what sunk the Moskva. PortTack Oct 2022 #19
Been trying to find if it is sea skimming and can be programmed for a... EX500rider Oct 2022 #26
Maybe it was a bomber that took off from Shangri-li. Chainfire Oct 2022 #20

GoCubsGo

(32,083 posts)
3. Another theory:
Sun Oct 9, 2022, 02:16 PM
Oct 2022

It was a truck bomb. It was driven and detonated remotely by the Russians themselves. That bridge was one of two routes out of the region, and the quickest. Which would have come in handy should you be one of the many men in that region trying to flee being conscripted by the Russian Army. The added benefit is that they can now blame Ukraine and/or the US/NATO for destroying Poot Poot's bridge.

 

Effete Snob

(8,387 posts)
6. It's not out of the realm of possibilities...
Sun Oct 9, 2022, 02:18 PM
Oct 2022

…that a Russian faction has had enough and is sabotaging their chances of a plausible win.

Hermit-The-Prog

(33,346 posts)
29. Yet another: a former KGB agent decided to cut off retreat of soldiers who don't like his war
Sun Oct 9, 2022, 07:24 PM
Oct 2022

It provides propaganda for stirring up Russians and excuses for escalation.

 

Effete Snob

(8,387 posts)
4. Probably just spontaneous combustion
Sun Oct 9, 2022, 02:16 PM
Oct 2022

Maybe something got into the concrete when they were building it and it slowly degraded into a spontaneously combustible explosive.

Pretty sure it was just something simple like that.

viva la

(3,298 posts)
5. Boat or submersible could make sense
Sun Oct 9, 2022, 02:17 PM
Oct 2022

As it could be easy to conceal the dropping of bombs in 3 different places ahead of time.

getagrip_already

(14,750 posts)
7. Note: a boat could have slipped in unseen...
Sun Oct 9, 2022, 02:21 PM
Oct 2022

Consider either a semi submersible running inches below the water, or a very low draft boat with a deep hull and little superstructure. Hell, it could even have been a military class suv.

It would not be visible to radar. It would be hard to see visually. It would resemble a piece of debris even to a flir camera.

If it was running with the current at low speed it wouldn't throw a wake.

It could carry thousands of kg of high explosives.

Just sayin....

 

Effete Snob

(8,387 posts)
22. Well, that's the trick
Sun Oct 9, 2022, 05:06 PM
Oct 2022

There's no really good way to get there from Ukrainian-controlled territory without a long trip ending in a narrow, heavily-protected straight where the bridge is.



Some sort of submersible drone would be a better bet than trying to get people and supplies in and out.

After annexing Crimea in 2014, around 500 - 600,000 Russians moved in. They are weighing the possibility of Crimea becoming a trap with no way out. The land route is closing and the bridge is disabled. There is a ferry, but that only has so much capacity.

So, they are getting out of Dodge...





SheltieLover

(57,073 posts)
23. Ty for sharing
Sun Oct 9, 2022, 05:09 PM
Oct 2022

I've been busy here with life & haven't taken time to look up map, etc.

No clue.

Maybe pootin ordered it?

For lack of a better reason, I'm sticking with Patron's mighty sneeze.

 

Effete Snob

(8,387 posts)
24. Careless smoking
Sun Oct 9, 2022, 05:10 PM
Oct 2022

Someone tossed a cigarette out of their window and there must have been a fuel leak somewhere.

Freak accident.

TxGuitar

(4,190 posts)
25. No doubt there are many Ukrainian civilians
Sun Oct 9, 2022, 05:14 PM
Oct 2022

And Ukrainian operatives in those pink areas on the map you posted who own boats and have access to munitions. The boat didn't have to come from Ukrainian controlled territory.

 

Tomconroy

(7,611 posts)
9. It was a missile. For reasons of their own neither russia
Sun Oct 9, 2022, 02:26 PM
Oct 2022

Last edited Sun Oct 9, 2022, 03:10 PM - Edit history (1)

Nor Ukraine want that known.

Just throwing it out there. I have no idea but it sort of makes sense to me.

ProfessorGAC

(65,042 posts)
27. Seems Unlikely
Sun Oct 9, 2022, 07:17 PM
Oct 2022

Anti-missile systems are expensive. Nobody in that region has the resources to protect every important bridge.
So, I really doubt there was a missile defense system.

GreenWave

(6,754 posts)
11. When in doubt
Sun Oct 9, 2022, 02:38 PM
Oct 2022

Is potato! Russian microwaves designed to cause cancer in people focus on a truckload of potatoes.

mitch96

(13,904 posts)
12. I like the boat theory. This guy discusses a washed up drone boat near savastopol.
Sun Oct 9, 2022, 02:48 PM
Oct 2022

Ukraine proof of concept drill?
m


sanatanadharma

(3,706 posts)
13. Truck vs boat thoughts
Sun Oct 9, 2022, 04:00 PM
Oct 2022

If it was a planned truck bomb, the planning and timing was poor.
A truck could have caused worse damage on the span over the shipping channel, based upon what happened. A dropped road in the waters would disturb the ship lanes.

A boat could not do the same to the high span, but could (did?) cause significant damage to the roadway closer to the water.
There was (is) considerable wind in the straights as is well seen in the videos of the moment. The rough waters would help hide a low profile boat in the pre-dawn/ breaking dawn; visually as well as radar.

 

Effete Snob

(8,387 posts)
15. Really, really good point
Sun Oct 9, 2022, 04:19 PM
Oct 2022

There is one surveillance video from the bridge security which appears to show a bow wave coming out between the piers just before the explosion, which, sure, might look like a boat.

But that definitely explains the placement/timing, unless the point was to take out the train as well. In that case, the train determined when it was optimal for the truck to blow up.

However, they have been checking vehicles for explosives, and trucks have been going through those whole-truck scanner things that are used at various international borders.

I'm with team boat.

ProfessorGAC

(65,042 posts)
28. The Truck Bomb Idea Has Another Problem
Sun Oct 9, 2022, 07:22 PM
Oct 2022

There's no way to effectively shape a device that large, and the 360 degree shockwave would have wasted a vast majority of the blast.
The boat idea (and I'm not endorsing that) at least takes advantage of water being an incompressible fluid.
So, a decent fraction of the down force would reflect up. Makes whatever mass of explosives used more efficient.

sanatanadharma

(3,706 posts)
30. Thank you, I have been wondering how to explain the water effect
Sun Oct 9, 2022, 07:27 PM
Oct 2022

The water forced down would rebound (like a spring) adding to the explosion's upward vector.

bluecollar2

(3,622 posts)
14. Clearly the assault was orchestrated by Hillary Clinton
Sun Oct 9, 2022, 04:19 PM
Oct 2022

In an operation underwritten by George Soros and the MSM to detract from the Hunter Biden's laptop.

Rumor is the codename for the operation was Barack Obama's Tan Suit and was carried out by European cells of BLM, ANTIFA, NOAA, ASPCA and rogue elements of the Greenpeace Group.

bluestarone

(16,940 posts)
18. Probably won't know for sure, But i thought someone here mentioned that
Sun Oct 9, 2022, 04:24 PM
Oct 2022

The road damage was inconsistent with Truck bomb? The road was blown upward i think. Plus what shape is the truck in now? THAT would tell us what type explosive was used. If truck in BLOWN to HELL then truck bomb. If truck is still intact, (somewhat that is) then must be bomb of another source? Would be nice to get a picture of that truck.

EX500rider

(10,848 posts)
26. Been trying to find if it is sea skimming and can be programmed for a...
Sun Oct 9, 2022, 06:43 PM
Oct 2022

....route via way points, Also not sure if the missile would lock on to a bridge, the warhead is 330lbs though.

Latest Discussions»General Discussion»theories on Crimean bridg...