On Tuesday, the Ukrainian Security Service (SBU) announced that they had used pre-placed underwater explosives to destroy the Crimea Bridge, also known as the Kerch Bridge, connecting mainland Russia to the occupied Crimean Peninsula. This marks the third attack on the bridge since Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022.
According to a statement on Telegram by the SBU, they carried out a special operation targeting the Crimea Bridge for the third time, this time from underwater. SBU Director Vasyl Malyuk added that they never repeat the same attack method.
The operation took months of preparation, with operatives placing explosives at the base of the bridge pillars and detonating them at 4:44 AM local time on Tuesday. The SBU stated that a total of 1,100 kilograms of explosives were used, causing severe damage to the underwater bridge pillars.
Just two days prior to this attack, the SBU launched a daring airstrike on the Russian military’s strategic bomber fleet, destroying or damaging 41 Russian strategic bombers, including Tu-95, Tu-22M3, and A-50 airborne warning aircraft, amounting to approximately 34% of Russia’s strategic cruise missile carriers and causing an estimated $7 billion in losses.
Russia has not yet responded to this attack. However, the bridge operator’s Telegram account posted earlier on Tuesday announcing a temporary suspension of traffic, which was later resumed at 9 AM local time.
The Crimea Bridge, with a total length of approximately 19 kilometers (12 miles), was constructed by Russia starting in 2014 after the annexation of Crimea, serving as a crucial supply line for Russian forces in southern Ukraine and a symbolic political project for Russian President Putin.
This marks the third attack on the bridge by Ukraine since the conflict began. In October 2022, a tanker truck explosion caused a fire on the bridge, and in July 2023, the SBU used an experimental unmanned surface vessel to destroy a section of the bridge. Following both attacks, Russia swiftly initiated repair operations. This underwater blasting is the first time a covert explosive attack has been used.
The day before this bridge bombing incident, delegations from the warring parties met in Turkey for the second round of talks since March 2022, which lasted only an hour. Russia and Ukraine agreed to exchange more prisoners of war, prioritizing the youngest and most severely injured, and to return the bodies of 12,000 fallen soldiers from both sides.
According to Russian media reports, a memorandum revealed that Russia informed Ukraine during peace negotiations on Monday that only if Kyiv cedes large new territories and accepts limitations on its military forces would Russia agree to end the war.
Ukraine has repeatedly rejected Russia’s conditions, viewing them as tantamount to surrender.