what we know about the new attack on the Crimean bridge, nine months after a previous explosion

The Crimean bridge had already suffered a violent explosion last October, before undergoing repairs. It was again the target of an attack on Monday July 17, which led the authorities to cut off car traffic on this essential work for Russia.

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This infrastructure is indeed the only one to connect the country to the annexed peninsula of Crimea. Russian justice has opened a criminal investigation for “terrorist act” and Moscow accuses kyiv of being at the origin of this destruction, using surface drones.

What happened ?

At least two explosions sounded around 3 a.m., according to local residents quoted by Russian media, in this summer period marked by the transfer of many tourists. According to Moscow, two surface drones carried out an attack on the infrastructure, damaging one of the sections.

A couple traveling by car was killed during the attack, the Russian investigative committee said on Telegram, adding that their 14-year-old daughter was injured and hospitalized. She was conscious, and suffered in particular from an injury to the chest and to the skull, according to an official of the regional administration of Krasnodar.

The damage has yet to be assessed, but the Ministry of Transport has already announced that the roadway had been damaged, which is also visible in several images posted in the morning, in particular by the Russian investigation committee. However, we can see that one of the spans has subsided considerably. Investigators are already on the scene, as part of an open criminal investigation for “terrorist act”.

Who is behind the attack?

“Today’s attack on the Crimean bridge was perpetrated by the kyiv regime”denounced Maria Zakharova, spokesperson for the Russian Foreign Ministry, on Telegram. This also refers to the “involvement of US and UK intelligence services”.

“Today’s attack on the Crimean bridge is a special operation of the SBU and the Navy”told AFP a source within the Ukrainian security services (SBU). “The bridge was attacked using naval drones.”

Contacted by the media Suspilne, Ukrainian military intelligence spokesman Andriï Yusov estimated that this attack would have logistical consequences for the Russian forces, because Crimea is “an important hub” for the movement of their troops and the strikes launched on the country.

What will be the consequences ?

The occupying leader of the annexed peninsula, Sergei Aksionov, asked people not to use the bridge again, while traffic jams have already formed at his approach. The Ministry of Transport now recommends using an alternative route, including via Mariupol, Berdyansk and Melitopol, in the occupied regions of mainland Ukraine.

The Crimean Bridge, 18 km long, consists of two parallel structures, one reserved for road traffic and the other for rail traffic. The railway line appears to be intact and traffic has been able to resume after being temporarily interrupted, according to the ministry. Ferry operations, linking Russia’s Krasnodar region to the peninsula, were also halted before resuming.

Oleg Kriouchkov, councilor for the annexed peninsula, also announced the imminent opening of temporary accommodation centers for tourists. They will be offered help in finding alternative travel routes. Since the explosion of the bridge last October, vehicles are now inspected when they enter the bridge, which already led to frequent traffic jams.

Why is this bridge strategic?

The viaduct, which spans the Kerch Strait, had already been damaged on October 8 by a powerful explosion, then attributed by the Russian authorities to a truck booby-trapped by the Ukrainian secret services. The concrete bridge was then returned to service. The work was inaugurated by Vladimir Putin in 2018, after a project valued at three billion dollars.

Having become the symbol of the annexation of Crimea, the work is essential for organizing troop movements between Russia, the peninsula and the annexed southern Ukraine. “Any illegal structure used to deliver Russian instruments of mass murder is necessarily ephemeral… Whatever the reasons for the destruction”commented an adviser to the Ukrainian presidency, Mykhaïlo Podoliak, on Twitter.