For the second time in less than a year, explosives damaged a bridge connecting Russia and Crimea, the southern Ukrainian peninsula that Moscow illegally annexed in 2014. The 12-mile-long bridge includes a route Roads and railways run parallel. side, is a heavily guarded piece of infrastructure of great importance to Russia.
Initial reports suggested Monday’s explosions were not as severe as in October last year, when an explosion caused part of a road bridge to fall into the water.
What happened?
Before dawn on Monday, the high-ranking Russian-installed official in Crimea, Sergei Aksyonov, announced on the messaging app Telegram that traffic had been stopped on the Kerch Strait Bridge because of the state of emergency.
Russia’s anti-terrorist commission later said that the bridge was hit by two maritime drones in what appeared to be separate explosions.
A Russian-appointed official in southern Ukraine, Vladimir Rogov, wrote on Telegram that two spans of the bridge were damaged. A couple was killed in the attack and their daughter was injured, a Russian official said.
Rail service along the bridge resumed on Monday morning, albeit with delays, according to Russian state media. Videos and photos verified by The New York Times show the damaged road, and Russian officials say drivers should use alternative routes.
What are Russia and Ukraine saying?
Russian officials blame Ukraine for the blasts, and Russia’s National Anti-Terrorism Committee said it was investigating them as an act of terrorism.
A spokesman for Ukraine’s security service, Artem Dekhtiarenko, spoke of the attack without saying directly that it was carried out by Ukrainian forces, in line with Kiev’s policy of deliberate ambiguity regarding attacks on Ukraine. territory held by Russia. He described the attack by the term “cotton”, used by Ukrainian officials to describe explosions in Russian-occupied areas.
“We are watching with interest how one of the symbols of the Putin regime is once again unable to withstand the military load,” Dekhtiarenko said. Comments posted on the Ukrinform website.
Why is the bridge important?
The Kerch Strait Bridge, opened in 2018, is an important cargo route for the Crimean Peninsula. It also brings Russian tourists to the region’s beaches, which are most popular in the summer.
Before the start of a full-scale invasion in February 2022, the Russian military used the bridge to transport supplies for their troops in the region, including the naval port in Sevastopol, where they were stationed. of the Black Sea Fleet. Since last year, the bridge has also been an important conduit for reinforcements and supplies to Russian troops, who have gained control of territory in southern Ukraine.
For the Kremlin, the bridge is a symbol of the connection it is trying to create between Crimea and Russia. Russian President Vladimir V. Putin drove a truck 12 miles when it opened, and two months after it broke down last October, he again drive over when he checked the repair.
What are the possible consequences of the attack?
The day after the bridge was damaged last October, Russia began an aerial campaign aimed at crippling Ukraine’s energy supply, attacking power plants and other infrastructure with drones. pilots and rockets in attacks lasting months.
Any attack on the bridge is celebrated by the Ukrainians. However, the disruption of the route also serves a military purpose, hampering Russia’s efforts to resupply its forces to stave off a Ukrainian counter-offensive that began last month. The bridge is considered an important lifeline for the Russian occupation troops in the Kherson, Zaporizhzhia and Donetsk regions in southern Ukraine.
In recent months, Ukraine has prioritized targeting Russian logistics points in its war strategy and has used Missiles supplied by the United States and other allies, according to military experts.
