Kerch Strait Bridge fire: Satellite images show fire on Russian bridge to Crimea

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Photos show damage after fireball engulfed Russian bridge to Crimea

A look at the Kerch Strait Bridge fire. Photo: Vera Katkova/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images More images of the massive explosion on the that links Crimea to Russia surfaced online Saturday. Why it matters: The bridge — often a political symbol often praised by Russian President Vladimir Putin — temporarily weakens a Russian military supply route. What we're seeing: Two new satellite images from Maxar Technologies taken Oct. 8 show the extent of the damage.Both images show the extent of the smoke from the fiery explosion of seven fuel tanks, reported.Satellite image 2022 Maxar TechnologiesSatellite image 2022 Maxar Technologies More images showed a zoomed-out view of the explosion with a thick pillar of smoke trailing away from the site.Photo: Vera Katkova/Anadolu Agency via Getty ImagesPhoto: Vera Katkova/Anadolu Agency via Getty ImagesPhoto: Security Service of Ukraine (SSU) / Handout/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images The big picture: The giant explosion on the bridge comes as Ukraine's military has recently made advancements in the and Kharkiv Oblasts regions after launching a in August, writes.Ukraine has slowly regained large amounts of territory, recapturing many key strategic cities, including . What next: Winter approaches, so Ukraine may need to slow its counter-offensive. This could allow Russia to potentially reinforce its own military, Knutson writes.That said, the Kerch Strait Bridge explosion represents a massive strike to a Russian supply route. Russia has often used the bridge to provide fuel and armor to troops in the south. Go deeper: Editor's note: This story has been corrected to change the sourcing for the satellite images. The images came from Maxar Technologies, not PlanetScope.

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