The FSB said the blast was organized by an intelligence team linked to Ukraine’s defense ministry.
The only bridge connecting Russia to Ukraine’s Crimea peninsula, annexed by Moscow in 2014, opened in 2018 by order of President Vladimir Putin. It was strategic for the Russians in the conflicts against Ukraine.
According to Moscow officials, the incident happened after a bomb was detonated on a truck, setting fire to seven tanks on a train full of fuel.
According to the Russians, three people died in the explosions.
- Satellite images show fires on the bridge
- What does the bridge between Russia and Crimea look like and why is it important in the war in Ukraine?
Ukraine has not officially confirmed its involvement in the blast, but some Ukrainian officials have celebrated the damage.
In retaliation, Russian forces launched mass rocket attacks on Ukrainian cities. Putin admitted the attacks were in retaliation for the Crimean bridge blast.
The bridge is one of the largest dualuse (road and rail) bridges in Europe with a length of 19 km. The route crosses the Kerch Strait between the Sea of Azov and the Black Sea, connecting Crimea’s Kerch Peninsula with the Taman Region of southern Russia.
The road and rail bridge was not only a prestigious symbol of Moscow’s annexation of the peninsula an act considered illegal by the international community but was also used to transport military equipment for the Russian Armed Forces.
In an interview with GloboNews, Professor Vitelio Breastolin, a researcher at Harvard University, explained that the bridge plays a crucial logistical role in the conflict between the two countries.
“On February 24, right at the beginning of the offensive, this bridge very quickly transported troops and they took over the Kherson region in March those areas that at that moment suffered a strong counterattack,” he explained.
2 of 2 Location of the bridge between Russia and Crimea — Photo: Arte/g1
Location of the bridge between Russia and Crimea — Photo: Arte/g1