KYIV: On Tuesday (Jun 3), Ukraine’s SBU security service announced that it successfully targeted the road and rail bridge connecting Russia to the Crimean peninsula with underwater explosives.
According to the SBU, they utilized 1,100 kilograms of explosives, which were detonated early in the morning, damaging the bridge’s underwater pillars. This bridge has previously served as a vital supply route for Russian forces in Ukraine.
An official Russian news source that regularly updates the bridge’s status reported that operations were halted for about three hours from 4 am to 7 am local time (9 am to 12 pm Singapore time).
While no reason was given for the temporary shutdown, the source later stated that the bridge had reopened and was operating normally.
The SBU noted, “In the past, we targeted the Crimean Bridge twice, in 2022 and 2023. Today, we carried on that tradition underwater.” They also mentioned that the operation was planned over several months.
The SBU released video footage showing an explosion near one of the numerous support pillars of the bridge.
Reuters was able to confirm the location of the explosion through the bridge’s structure and identifying features that matched satellite imagery of the area. However, they could not independently verify when the footage was recorded.
Russian military bloggers have claimed that the attack did not achieve its intended outcome, suggesting that a Ukrainian sea drone might have executed it.
