An attack before dawn Monday damaged a bridge linking Russia to Moscow-annexed Crimea. The span is a key supply route for Kremlin forces in the war with Ukraine. The explosion killed two people. It forced the span’s temporary closure for a second time in less than a year.
Satellite images taken Monday morning show serious damage to both lanes of the 12-mile Kerch Bridge, which is also known as the Crimean Bridge. The bridge crosses the Kerch Strait on the part nearest the Russian mainland. Vehicle traffic on the bridge came to a standstill on Monday. Rail traffic halted too.
According to Russia’s National Anti-Terrorist Committee, two Ukrainian maritime drones carried out the strike.
Ukrainian officials haven’t taken outright responsibility. But Ukrainian Security Service spokesman Artem Degtyarenko says his agency will reveal details of how the “bang” was organized after Kyiv has won the war.
Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered increased security at the bridge. His orders were a repeat of those of October 2022, when an explosion severely damaged the bridge. Moscow attributed that blast to Ukraine forces as well.
Putin promises that “there will be a response from Russia, of course.”
“What happened is another terrorist act of the Kyiv regime,” Putin states. He claims the bridge “hasn’t been used for military means in a long time” and that the strike was “pointless from the military point of view.” He calls the attack “brutal, because blameless civilians were injured and killed.”
Loss of life is always brutal and sorrowful since God holds each life precious. (John 3:16) Putin failed, however, to take responsibility for his nation’s annexation of the peninsula and invasion of Ukraine as the initiating factors of the tragic event.
Russia expanded its military forces in Crimea since its full-scale invasion of Ukraine *Russia Attacks* in February 2022. It blames Ukraine for several attacks against the Russian military and other facilities on the peninsula.
The Kerch Bridge is a conspicuous symbol of Moscow’s claims on Crimea and an essential land link to the peninsula. Russia illegally annexed Crimea *Crimea after Russian Takeover* in 2014. The bridge is the longest in Europe and is crucial for Russia’s military operations in southern Ukraine.
The bridge attack came just hours before a Russian announcement. As expected, Russia is halting a deal brokered by the United Nations and Turkey. The deal allowed the export of Ukraine’s grain *Ukraine Grain Keeps Sailing* during the war.
Russian authorities say the attack damaged two road links, one beyond repair. The damage still appeared less serious than in October’s attack.
Andriy Yusov, a spokesman for Ukraine’s military intelligence department, declined to comment. But, he says, “Any logistical problems are additional complications for the occupiers.”
