KYIV: Ukraine said on Tuesday that it had struck the Crimean bridge for the third time since the start of Russia’s invasion, after spending months planting explosives on support structure beneath the water. The extent of the damage was not immediately clear, but the Security Service of Ukraine, the intelligence agency known as the SBU, released a statement and a video that it said showed one of the detonations.“Today, at 4.44am, without any civilian casualties, the first explosive device was detonated,” the agency said in a statement. “The underwater support pillars were severely damaged at the seabed level – aided by the equivalent of 1,100 kg of TNT.” Surveillance footage released by the agency and verified by NYT shows an explosion under the Kerch Strait Bridge, which connects Russia’s mainland and the Crimean peninsula. The attack appeared to target support features of the bridge. It was not clear how much damage the bridge sustained. A photo from the agency shows some damage to its railing.Traffic on the bridge was suspended for about three hours Tuesday morning, and then later in the day, about an hour after the SBU published its report, it was closed again for about two hours, according to the Telegram channel that tracks the bridge’s operation. The reasons for the closures were not disclosed. The bridge reopened by late afternoon.The head of the SBU, Vasyl Malyuk, wrote in a statement that Russia had continued to use the bridge “as a logistical artery to supply its troops,” making it a legitimate target.A Russian military blog, Rybar, run by a former Russian army service member, Mikhail Zvinchuk, said in a Telegram post that a Ukrainian underwater drone had attacked the bridge early Tuesday but that it had hit only a defensive barrier around one of the pylons. The strike on the bridge came two days after Ukraine conducted one of the most ambitious operations of the war deep inside Russia, targeting the Russian strategic bombing fleet.The Kerch Strait Bridge stretches for 19km and is a primary supply route for Moscow’s forces fighting in southern Ukraine. It is deeply symbolic for President Putin, who presided over its opening in 2018. In Oct 2022, a truck laden with explosives was detonated as it crossed the bridge, causing a fireball large enough to rupture fuel tanks on a passing train and setting it on fire. The blast pulled part of the roadway off its joints and into the sea. The Russians set about repairs, but 10 months later, the bridge was hit again, this using maritime drones to target support pillars.
