According to Russian officials, two people were killed, and a child was injured in an “emergency situation” on a Russian-built bridge connecting the seized Crimean Peninsula to Russia’s Krasnodar region.
The head of the Crimean State Council, Vladimir Konstantinov, attributed the damage to the bridge to an attack by Ukraine.
Crimea Bridge Damaged
The announcement came hours after Moscow-installed officials said traffic on the bridge had been halted, and Ukrainian media reported explosions near the bridge. Russia’s Transport Ministry stated on Monday on its Telegram channel, “There is damage to the roadway on spans of the Crimean Bridge.” According to the Transport Ministry, the bridge is being inspected.
Images from the region showed no traffic crossing the 19-kilometre (12-mile) road and rail bridge, while social media footage revealed bent metal barriers, debris, and a damaged car.
According to Vyacheslav Gladkov, governor of the southern Russian region of Belgorod, a couple and their daughter were among those caught in the blast on the bridge. “We all saw with you on a video on the Internet a damaged car with Belgorod numbers. What information is available at the moment: a girl was injured,” he stated on Telegram.
A Russian-installed governor, Sergei Aksyonov, said the incident happened on the 145th pillar of the bridge. “Law enforcement agencies and all relevant services are working… measures are being taken to handle the situation,” he stated without elaborating. Aksyonov advised Crimeans and those travelling to and from the peninsula to choose an alternate land route.
Meanwhile, the RBC-Ukraine news agency reported hearing explosions on the bridge, while Russia’s Grey Zone, a Telegram channel connected with the Wagner mercenary group, claimed two strikes on the bridge in the early hours of Monday.
Key Russian supply line Crimea Bridge damaged, two dead, reports of blasts https://t.co/plhHjEtzm6 pic.twitter.com/EkOBhnx7Cm
— CNA (@ChannelNewsAsia) July 17, 2023
Russian Officials Blame Ukraine
Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova accused Ukraine of carrying out an attack on the bridge with the “direct participation” of the UK and the US, but showed no evidence to back up the allegations.
Additionally, on his Telegram channel, Konstantinov stated, “Tonight the terrorist regime in Kyiv committed a new crime – it attacked the Crimean bridge.”
Andrii Yusov, a Ukraine Defence Intelligence representative, stated, “Any logistical problems are additional complications for the occupiers, which create potential advantages for the Ukrainian defence forces.”
Crimea Bridge Attacked Twice
The bridge, which spans the Kerch Strait, was severely damaged by a truck bomb in October and required months of repairs before resuming full service. According to Russian officials, the explosion was caused by a truck that exploded while crossing the bridge, killing three persons.
Russian President Vladimir Putin had called the October blast a “terrorist attack” planned by Ukrainian security forces and ordered a series of retaliatory strikes on Ukrainian towns, including the capital Kyiv.
Importance of the Bridge
The Crimea Bridge over the Kerch Strait is the sole direct link between Russia’s transport network and the Crimean Peninsula, which Moscow annexed from Ukraine in 2014.
It was constructed as a separate highway and railway, both supported by concrete stilts, which give way to a bigger span supported by steel arches at the point where ships pass between the Black Sea and the smaller Azov Sea.
The bridge is crucial for supplying fuel, food, and other goods to Crimea, where the port of Sevastopol has long served as the home base for Russia’s Black Sea Fleet.
Additionally, the bridge served as a vital supply route for Russian forces after Moscow invaded Ukraine on 24 February, deploying troops from Crimea to occupy most of southern Ukraine’s Kherson region and parts of neighbouring Zaporizhzhia province.