Last year saw several attacks on the Kerch Bridge, or the Karim Bridge, which connects the Karim Peninsula to the Russian mainland. On July 17 at the latest, the bridge was severely damaged, and since then the Russian authorities in the occupied area have tried to repair the damage.
On Saturday afternoon, the bridge was closed twice to traffic. At 15.10 it opens for the second time in two hours, according to a Telegram message from Local authorities.
Vehicle movements on the Krym Bridge are temporarily prohibited. Those on the bridge and in the safety area are told to remain calm and follow the instructions of the transport safety personnel, a message that has been sent on occasions when the bridge has been closed.
Russia confirms the attack
Russian authorities claimed to have dropped two Ukrainian missiles on the bridge.
– A statement issued by the Russian Defense Ministry said that Ukrainian forces attempted to hit the bridge.
The pro-Russian ruler of Crimea wrote in a message on Telegram that the bridge should not be damaged.
Local residents later reported eight explosions in the area, an adviser to Ukraine’s interior ministry, Anton Gerashchenko, wrote on Twitter earlier.
smoke in the area
There is a lot of smoke in the area, but it is unclear if this is from fire, explosions, or bridge defensive smoke.
Former Swedish Prime Minister Carl Bildt was among those who shared the photos.
– It is unclear how many attacks occurred, Bildt writes, and adds that Russian air defense is working.
In May of this year, seven months after the first explosion that destroyed parts of the Karim Bridge, the Ukrainian secret services admitted their involvement in the attack.
– Since this was a logistical route for the enemy that we had to cut, appropriate measures were taken, says Vasyl Malzhuk, head of the Ukrainian Security Service SBU, in an interview with Ukrainian journalist Dmytro Komarov on Saturday.
He did not give any details about the operation. On the 8th of October last year, parts of the bridge were destroyed in a powerful explosion that claimed the lives of three people.
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