Topline
The Crimean Bridge—which connects the annexed peninsula with the Russian mainland—was closed for traffic Monday following reports of explosions, an incident that comes nine months after the strategically important bridge was damaged in a strike conducted by Ukrainian forces.
File photo of the Crimean Bridge which was allegedly attacked by Ukrainian forces again on Monday.
Key Facts
The traffic stoppage was the result of an “emergency,” Crimea’s Russia-installed governor Sergey Aksenov said in a Telegram post, adding that law enforcement agencies are looking into the situation.
In a subsequent post, Aksenov urged the peninsula’s residents to “refrain from traveling through the Crimean bridge” and pick alternate routes “for security regions.”
According to the RBC-Ukraine news agency, the “emergency” in question was an attack on the bridge carried out by the Ukrainian Navy and intelligence.
Citing a source in the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), the Ukrainian news report added that the attack was carried out using “surface drones.”
Some Ukrainian journalists shared unverified images of what appeared to be major damage to a segment of the bridge on Twitter.
Officials on the Russian side of the bridge reported the deaths of two people and said their daughter was injured in an accident on the bridge, the Associated Press reported.
Key Background
The Crimean Bridge holds both strategic and symbolic importance for Russia as it connects the annexed peninsula with the Russian mainland. Prior to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, it was the only road and rail link between Crimea and Russia. In October last year, a portion of the bridge was severely damaged by a large explosion. The Kremlin blamed the explosion on Ukrainian special services, with Putin calling it an “act of terrorism.” The Russians alleged the strike was carried out using a truck-borne IED (improvised explosive device) which damaged a portion of the road bridge and caused a fuel-carrying train on the adjacent rail bridge to catch fire. Ukrainian did not directly claim responsibility for the attack, but heavily implied it was involved. A public admission was finally made earlier this month by Hanna Maliar, Ukraine’s deputy defense minister, who called it the “first strike” on the bridge and said it was undertaken to “disrupt Russian logistics.
Further Reading
Traffic on key bridge from Crimea to Russia’s mainland halted amid reports of explosions and deaths (Associated Press)
Watch Russia’s Lone Bridge To Crimea In Flames—Here’s What It Means For Putin’s War Efforts (Forbes)
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/siladityaray/2023/07/17/traffic-on-crimean-bridge-halted-amid-reports-it-was-attacked-again-by-ukrainian-forces/