Ukraine strikes again: Vital Crimean bridge hit underwater
The Security Service of Ukraine reported on Tuesday about an attack on the Crimean Bridge, which connects the Russian-occupied Crimean Peninsula with the Russian Federation. The underwater supports of the structure were damaged. According to the Security Service, the operation lasted several months.
Kyiv can boast to its allies about another spectacular action against the Russian invader. The Security Service of Ukraine announced that on Tuesday, June 3rd, it conducted a successful attack on the Crimean Bridge.
This infrastructure, connecting occupied Crimea with the Taman Peninsula in Russia, was severely damaged. The operation lasted several months. It involved the detonation of explosives equivalent to 1,100 kilograms of TNT.
The Security Service reported that the attack on the Crimean Bridge was the third such operation, this time conducted underwater.
"Security Service agents mined the supports of this illegal object," the announcement said. The explosion took place at 4:44 AM, Eastern Time, (10:44 PM EDT) without causing any casualties among the civilian population, as the Ukrainians emphasized.
The head of the Security Service, General Vasyl Maliuk, emphasized that the Crimean Bridge is a legitimate target, because it was used by Russia as a key logistical artery to supply its troops.
The first Ukrainian attack on the bridge occurred on October 8, 2022. An explosion and fire followed, and a section of the roadway on one of the traffic lanes collapsed. After the strike, Russian truck drivers had to wait in line to cross the bridge for three to four days.
The second attack on the bridge happened on July 17, 2023. An explosion occurred, resulting in the deaths of two civilians, and a part of the roadway was taken out of service.
In May, the Ukrainian Navy commander Oleksiy Neizhpapa expressed optimism in an interview with the British magazine "The Observer" about the possibility of destroying the crossing, which is the only land connection between occupied Crimea and the Krasnodar Region in Russia.
Traffic halted
As a result of the attack, the underwater supports of the bridge were severely damaged, placing it in an emergency state. Vehicle traffic has been halted there, as reported by users of Russian social media.
Vehicle traffic on the Crimean Bridge has been temporarily halted. People on the bridge and in the control zone are asked to remain calm and follow the instructions of transport security personnel," conveyed the "Crimean Bridge: Operational Information" channel on Telegram.
The "Sevastopol Info" channel on Telegram reported at 10:20 AM Eastern Time that "the attack on the Crimean Bridge continues." "(Ukrainians) are breaking through the barriers (protecting the bridge from attacks)," cited the Polish Press Agency.
Ukraine on the offensive
Meanwhile, on Tuesday, the Russian Investigative Committee accused Ukraine of blowing up two bridges in western Russia. The attacks occurred this past weekend, as reported by the Russians.
In the Bryansk region, a road bridge collapsed onto a passenger train traveling below from Klimovo to Moscow. The train was carrying nearly 390 people. At least seven people died, and 69 were injured as a result of this incident.
Meanwhile, in the Zheleznogorsk district of the Kursk region, a railway bridge over the highway collapsed, causing the locomotive to derail. The engineers riding in it were injured.
On Sunday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced that in an operation conducted by Ukraine's Security Service (SBU) using 117 drones, 34% of Russian strategic bombers were destroyed or damaged.
