Jul 22, 2023 at 12:51pm BST
Updated 1 hour ago
video caption,
Watch: Video shows smoke as Russia claims a fuel depot in Crimea was hit
According to Russian authorities, a drone attack on an ammunition depot in Crimea has led to the evacuation of civilians and disrupted transport.
Sergei Aksyonov, the Russian-installed governor of occupied Crimea, said Ukraine was behind the attack without providing any evidence.
Mr Aksyonov said residents living within a five-kilometer radius of the blast were being evacuated.
Rail services across the Kerch Bridge have also reportedly been suspended.
On Saturday, the Russian authorities stopped traffic on the bridge, but then immediately opened it to cars again.
A later update from the government appointed by Moscow said that road traffic had been stopped again until further notice.
Mr Aksyonov said infrastructure facilities in Crimea’s Krasnogvardeysky district were the target.
The BBC could not independently verify the attack.
The district where the attack was reported is more than 160 km (100 miles) from the Kerch Bridge.
Often referred to as the Crimean Bridge, the bridge opened in 2018 and allows road and rail travel between Russia and Crimea – Ukrainian territory annexed by Moscow in 2014.
The bridge has become a symbol of Russian occupation and also represents an important supply route for Russian forces in southern Ukraine.
On Monday, an explosion on the bridge killed two people and damaged the road. However, the railway line running parallel to it was not damaged.
The Kremlin blamed Kiev for Monday’s attack, saying Ukraine committed a “terrorist” act. Russian President Vladimir Putin announced retaliation, accusing Ukraine of a “senseless” and “cruel” attack.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the Crimean bridge is a legitimate target.
In his speech on Friday, he spoke of the need to “neutralize” the bridge, saying it was “the route that war was supplied with ammunition and this is happening every day” and that Kiev considers it “an enemy facility”.
“So, understandably, that’s a goal for us,” Mr. Zelenskyy said in a video address at the Aspen Security Conference in the United States.
Monday’s alleged attack was the second major incident on the Kerch Bridge in the past year.
In October 2022, the bridge was partially closed after a massive explosion. It was fully reopened in February.
video caption,
Watch: Ros Atkins on…the recent Crimean Bridge attack