Ukraine says it hit Crimea bridge with underwater bomb, damaging Russian supply route
Ukraine's security service has claimed responsibility for an underwater bombing targeting the Crimea bridge, a critical supply route connecting Russia to the annexed Crimean peninsula. In a statement, Ukraine's SBU security service said it had used 1,100 kilograms of explosives that were detonated early in the morning and damaged underwater pillars of the bridge, a key supply route for Russian forces in Ukraine in the past. The SBU shared video footage that appeared to show an explosion next to one of the many support pillars of the bridge.
The 19 km Crimea Bridge over the Kerch Strait is the only direct link between the transport network of Russia and the Crimean peninsula, which Moscow annexed from Ukraine in 2014. It was used by Russian forces during their invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, when they crossed it to reach Crimea and from there went on to seize parts of Ukraine's southern Kherson and southeastern Zaporizhzhia regions.
"Previously, we hit the Crimean Bridge twice, in 2022 and 2023. So today we continued this tradition underwater," the SBU said in a statement, adding that the operation had been prepared over several months.
The official Russian outlet which provides regular status updates on the bridge said its operation had been suspended for about three hours between 4am and 7am local time. It gave no reason for the temporary closure but said the bridge had been reopened and was functioning as normal.
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