Vladimir Putin is expected to respond aggressively to the destruction of his pet project Crimea bridge by ramping up the war in Ukraine.
Initial reports said three people were killed when the vital supply line was blown up in the early hours of yesterday morning.
But today Ukainian media reported a dozen fatalities with scores injured when the suspected truck bomb exploded, taking with it a large portion of the 12-mile bridge.
Western powers fear the tyrant will be enraged and want revenge for the destruction of the bridge, which he personally opened in a ceremony in 2018.
Warning of dire consequences, the Kremlin leader has previously said any attack on the Kerch Strait would spark "judgment day".
After convening an emergency cabinet meeting yesterday afternoon, the Kremlin didn't mention a response, instead vowing Russia would strengthen its defences around the bridge.
But key Russian lawmakers are calling for blood.
Alexander Bashkin of the Russian State Duma said, "This was a declaration of war without rules,” while calling for an "adequate, conscious and possible asymmetric" response.
Another of Putin's chums, propagandist Vladimir Solovyov, called for Ukraine to be battered back to "dark times" for blowing up Putin's precious bridge - by bringing back a nefarious Soviet-era intelligence agency infamous for killing innocent civilians.
He said: "It's time to remember Soviet military training and act decisively and creatively.
"Not responding to the enemy's actions, but breaking their plans, striking unexpected blows in directions where the enemy is not expecting them.
"Ukraine should be plunged into dark times. Bridges, dams, railways, thermal power plants and other infrastructure facilities should be destroyed throughout Ukraine.
"The country should switch to a military mode - entirely. This should include SMERSH making a return."
"Everything for the front, everything for victory," he adds.
SMERSH - which translates to "Death to Spies" - was the umbrella organisation of three intelligence agencies that was controlled and answered directly to the Red Army and Stalin himself.
Two Russian governors have even called for the Kremlin to rain down its world-ending Sarmat 'Satan' missiles on Ukrainian cities.
The deputy governor of Russia's southern Stavropol region Valery Chernitsov exclaimed: "Ukrainians, leave your cities, especially the large ones. Because a big surprise is waiting for you. Sarmat missiles are ready to strike", in a menacing video posted on Twitter.
Though Kyiv hasn't claimed responsibility for the blast, President Volodymyr Zelensky's advisor tweeted: "Crimea, the bridge, the beginning. Everything illegal must be destroyed, everything stolen must be returned to Ukraine, everything occupied by Russia must be expelled."
"The bridge burns beautifully," he added.
And Kyiv's Ministry of Defence added: "The guided missile cruiser Moskva and the Kerch Bridge – two notorious symbols of russian power in Ukrainian Crimea – have gone down. What’s next in line, russkies?"
Prodding at the tyrant last night, Zelensky staged a mock weather report detailing how it's "cloudy in Crimea".
President Zelensky said: "Today was a good and mostly sunny day in our country.
"Over most of the territory, it was about 20 degrees Celsius and sunny.
"Unfortunately, it was cloudy in Crimea, although it was still warm.
"But however the clouds are, Ukrainians know what to do, and they know that our future is sunny.”
The bridge's destruction is a major blow, both symbolically and tactically, as it is the main route used to supply Russian soldiers to the front lines in southern Ukraine.
Months ago and amid concerns Ukraine could deliver a tactical strike at the strategic runway, Putin's propagandist cronies shared a report claiming it was indestructible, or even impossible to attack.
Referencing the reports, New Lines Institute Fellow Elizabeth Tsurkove wrote on Twitter yesterday: "Only 3 months ago, Russian propaganda was claiming that the Crimea bridge was impossible to attack because of 20 different modes of protection covering it, including military dolphins (#17) [...] What a colossal failure."
Among the 20 different so-called "protection modes" are defence systems that can produce a 400km-diameter protective dome, or an underwater sound signal that increases to the "pain threshold" if the swimmer doesn't turn around, KP.ru reports.
On land, agents from Russia's Ministry of Internal Affairs guard the bridge, while the Black Sea Fleet and the FSB coast guards protect from the waves on well-armed boats equipped with anti-aircraft missiles and grenade launchers, the report adds.
And the bridge's most bizarre line of defence is below the waves. According to a graphic of the system, the Kremlin has military-trained dolphins on hand to deter any would-be attackers.
