Ukraine live updates: Putin drives across bombed-out Crimean bridge - USA TODAY

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Russian President Vladimir Putin drove a car crossed the Crimean span Monday, 2 months aft it was severely damaged in a motortruck bombing Russian officials blamed connected a Ukrainian violent attack. 

Putin drove with Deputy Prime Minister Marat Khusnullin, who oversaw the span reconstruction, and spoke with immoderate of the 500 workers astatine the site. Repairs connected the railroad information of the span are expected to beryllium completed successful 6-7 months, authorities said.

Ukraine hinted astatine work for the attack but ne'er afloat acknowledged involvement. Russian authorities blamed Ukraine's quality work and responded with respective waves of rocket and drone strikes that person battered Ukraine’s vigor facilities and different cardinal infrastructure.

The span links Russia’s mainland with the Crimean Peninsula, which Moscow annexed from Ukraine successful 2014. Ukraine officials person vowed to instrumentality backmost Crimea.

ONLY 25% OF RUSSIANS SUPPORT WAR: Ukraine wants terms headdress connected Russian lipid chopped successful half

Other developments:

►Global lipid prices roseate Monday arsenic a West-imposed $60-per-barrel limit connected Russian oil took effect. Russia said it would chopped accumulation earlier accepting the cap. India was among countries saying it would proceed paying for Russian lipid – though astatine a discount from the planetary benchmark Brent crude terms of $87.30 per barrel.

►The Financial Times named Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy its person of the year for 2022. "I americium much liable than brave," helium told FT.

Explosions stone Russian bases

Explosions rocked 2 aerial bases successful occidental Russia connected Monday, including a basal that houses nuclear-capable bombers progressive successful launching strikes against Ukraine, Russian media reported. The Ukraine subject said Ukraine forces were not progressive successful the attacks, some much than 500 miles from the Ukraine border.

Russian authorities RIA Novosti quality bureau said 3 servicemen were killed, six were injured and a level was damaged erstwhile a substance motortruck exploded astatine an aerial basal successful Ryazan, successful occidental Russia. The basal houses long-range formation tankers that service to refuel bombers successful the air.

Authorities successful the Saratov portion said an detonation struck the country of the Engels aerial base, which houses Tu-95 and Tu-160 strategical bombers that person been progressive successful launching strikes connected Ukraine. Those bombers are susceptible of carrying atomic weapons. The Ukraine subject said it had reports that 2 Russian servicemen were injured and 2 planes damaged. 

"No substance however overmuch the force wants (to blasted Ukraine forces), we haven't started thing yet," said Yuriy Ignat, the spokesperson of the Ukraine Air Force Command. "They person to scratch their heads, think, however and who did it, however did it happen?"

Odesa's 1 cardinal radical without h2o aft Russian rocket strike

Cities crossed Ukraine faced different bombardment of Russian missiles Monday, prompting widespread power outages and leaving Odesa, a metropolis of astir 1 cardinal people, without moving water. Air raid alerts sounded crossed the country, and authorities urged radical to instrumentality shelter. Ukraine’s aerial unit said it changeable down much than 60 of astir 70 missiles, but nationalist energy supplier Ukrenergo said emergency blackouts began astir everyplace and that efforts to reconstruct powerfulness began immediately. 

In Odesa, the section h2o proviso institution said a rocket onslaught chopped powerfulness to pumping stations, shutting down the full system.

“Russians are terrorists who person thing to bash with civilization and quality values!” Kyrylo Tymoshenko, the lawman caput of the Ukrainian president’s office, wrote connected Telegram.

Germany volition upgrade subject to antagonistic Russian threat

The German authorities volition soon unveil a caller nationalist information strategy aimed astatine becoming one of the main providers of information successful Europe successful the look of Russian aggression, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said successful an nonfiction for the Foreign Affairs magazine. He warned that existent threats see assaults connected allied territory, cyberwarfare, and adjacent the "remote chance" of a atomic attack.

The program calls for strengthening the European defence industry, beefing up the subject beingness connected NATO’s eastbound flank and grooming and equipping Ukraine’s armed forces, Scholz said. He confirmed his government's plans to bargain U.S. F-35 combatant jets.

"For the past 3 decades, decisions regarding Germany’s information and the instrumentality of the country’s equipped forces were taken against the backdrop of a Europe astatine peace," Scholz wrote. "Now, the guiding question volition beryllium which threats we and our allies indispensable face successful Europe, astir instantly from Russia."

Contributing: The Associated Press

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