Traffic across Crimea’s Kerch Bridge has been suspended by Russian officials on Tuesday, just hours after Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) claimed to have struck the vital link with underwater explosives.
Maritime traffic in the area has also reportedly been halted.
The SBU stated that the strike, the result of an operation meticulously planned over “several months,” involved detonating 1,100kg of explosives placed deep underwater before 05:00 local time this morning.
Ukraine claims the bridge’s underwater pillars have been damaged.
The Kerch Bridge, a symbol of Russia’s 2014 annexation of Crimea, is considered a legitimate military target by Kyiv and is a key supply route for Russian forces. This is reportedly the third time Ukraine has targeted the bridge.
The attack on the Kerch Bridge follows a series of mysterious bridge collapses in Russia’s border regions over the past few days.
On Saturday night, a road bridge in Bryansk reportedly came down, resulting in seven fatalities and dozens of injuries as heavy trucks fell onto a moving passenger train.
Hours later, another bridge collapsed in Kursk’s Zheleznogorsk district, derailing a locomotive train. While Russian media are investigating these incidents as acts of terrorism, a Ukrainian national security official dismissed them as Russian “false flag” operations designed to manipulate international opinion ahead of peace talks held on Monday.
The SBU’s statement regarding the 1,100kg of explosives used in the Kerch Bridge attack aligns with the type of demolition capabilities provided to Ukraine by the United States.
The US State Department has previously detailed the provision of “C-4 explosives, demolition munitions, and demolition equipment for obstacle clearing” as part of its military aid to Ukraine over the past three years. While there is no direct confirmation, the characteristics of C-4, a stable and moldable plastic explosive, would fit the nature of the underwater attack.
As of now, Moscow has yet to officially comment on Ukraine’s claims or provide a full assessment of the damage to the Kerch Bridge.
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