Crimean Bridge: All about the mysterious Marichka underwater drone that Ukraine may have used to blow up the Crimean Bridge
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What Is the Marichka Underwater Drone?
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Bridge Explosion: What We Know
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Why the Crimean Bridge Matters
Ukraine's Security Service (SBU) announced on Tuesday that it had struck the road-and-rail bridge linking Russia to the annexed Crimean peninsula with explosives placed below the waterline. According to the agency, 1,100 kilograms (2,420 pounds) of explosives were used in the early-morning operation, damaging the underwater support pillars of the strategically important structure — a key supply route for Russian forces in the ongoing war.Now, reports suggest Ukraine may have deployed its "Marichka" underwater drone to carry out the attack.'The SBU conducted a new, unique special operation and struck the Crimean Bridge for the third time — this time underwater,' reported Ukrainian news outlet Dev.ua.'The operation lasted several months. SBU agents mined the supports of this illegal facility. And today, without any civilian casualties, at 4:44 a.m., the first explosive device was activated!'The report added that underwater drones were used to follow up on the initial blast, causing further damage to the bridge's submerged structures.The Marichka is a 6-meter-long black unmanned underwater vehicle (UUV) developed in Ukraine. With a range of up to 1,000 kilometers, the drone is designed for a variety of missions, including reconnaissance, transportation, and direct attacks.According to Ukrainian media, Marichka is a homegrown project built by volunteer engineers under the group AMMO Ukraine, and funded entirely through public donations. The estimated cost of a single unit is around UAH 16 million (approximately $433,000).The drone is said to be meant for suicide missions targeting Russian naval assets in the Black Sea as well as critical infrastructure along the Russian coastline.Earlier, the SBU shared video footage showing an explosion beside one of the Crimean Bridge's support pillars. Reuters verified the location using satellite imagery and structural identifiers but could not independently confirm the time the footage was recorded.Russian military bloggers downplayed the damage, claiming the attack was unsuccessful and suggesting it may have involved a Ukrainian sea drone rather than a submersible.This strike comes shortly after another bold Ukrainian operation — "Spider's Web" — which targeted Russian long-range bomber aircraft at airfields deep inside Russian territory using aerial drones.Spanning 19 kilometers (12 miles) over the Kerch Strait, the Crimean Bridge is the only direct land link between mainland Russia and the Crimean peninsula, which Moscow annexed from Ukraine in 2014. The bridge was personally championed by President Vladimir Putin, who opened it in 2018.The structure includes separate road and railway spans, supported by concrete stilts and steel arches at the navigational channel between the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov.During Russia's February 2022 invasion, the bridge played a critical role in moving troops and supplies into southern Ukraine, particularly into the Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions.
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an hour ago
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