Ukraine Executes Underwater Attack on Crimea Bridge
Ukraine's Security Service (SBU) announced a successful underwater attack on the Crimean Bridge connecting Russia to the Crimean Peninsula. The operation utilized 1,100 kilograms (2,420 pounds) of explosives detonated early in the morning, damaging key underwater support pillars of the bridge.
Temporary Suspension of Bridge Traffic
A Russian official source reported that the bridge's operation was suspended for approximately three hours—from 4 a.m. to 7 a.m. local time—though it was later reopened and resumed normal function. No official explanation was provided for the closure.
Strategic Importance of the Crimea Bridge
The 19-kilometer (12-mile) bridge over the Kerch Strait serves as the sole direct link between Russia’s transport network and the annexed Crimean Peninsula. Since 2014, after Russia's annexation of Crimea, the bridge has been a critical logistical channel for Russian military movements and supplies.
Structurally, the bridge features separate road and rail sections, supported by concrete pylons and wider steel arches where the passage between the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov occurs. It has played a pivotal role in Russia’s military advance into southern Ukrainian regions such as Kherson and Zaporizhzhia since 2022.
Historical Context and Recent Developments
This marks at least the third known Ukrainian attack on the Crimean Bridge, following similar efforts in 2022 and 2023. The SBU highlighted that this underwater strike was the result of meticulous planning over several months and likened it to continuing a "tradition" of strikes against the bridge.
Video evidence released by the SBU shows an explosion near one of the bridge’s support pillars. Independent verification confirmed the location through structural and geographic matching with satellite imagery, although the exact timing of the footage could not be independently confirmed.
Russian Response and Speculation
Military bloggers aligned with Russia have criticized the attack as unsuccessful and speculated that it was carried out using Ukrainian sea drones, though official details remain scarce.
Concurrent Ukrainian Military Operations
Parallel to this operation, Ukraine conducted a drone assault dubbed "Spider’s Web" targeting Russian nuclear-capable long-range bombers at multiple distant airbases within Russia. This reflects an ongoing strategic effort by Ukraine to disrupt Russian military capabilities and logistics.
Significance and Future Implications
The attack underscores continued Ukrainian efforts to impair Russia’s military supply lines linked to Crimea, a region central to Moscow’s operations in the conflict. Control and damage of such critical infrastructure have significant tactical consequences amid the ongoing conflict.
