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Ukraine’s security service has claimed responsibility for an underwater bombing targeting the Crimea bridge, a critical supply route connecting Russia to the annexed Crimean Peninsula.
In a statement, Ukraine’s SBU security service said it had used 1,100kg of explosives that were detonated and damaged underwater pillars of the bridge, a key supply route for Russian forces in Ukraine in the past.
The SBU shared video footage that appeared to show an explosion next to one of the many support pillars of the bridge.
What’s the significance of the bridge?
The 19km Crimea Bridge over the Kerch Strait is the only direct link between Russia’s transport network and the Crimean Peninsula, which Russia annexed from Ukraine in 2014.
It was used by Russian forces during their invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, when they crossed it to reach Crimea and from there went on to seize parts of Ukraine’s southern Kherson and south-eastern Zaporizhzhia regions.
What has Ukraine’s security service said about the bombing?
“Previously, we hit the Crimean Bridge twice, in 2022 and 2023. So today we continued this tradition underwater,” the SBU said in a statement, adding that the operation had been prepared over several months.
Was the mission a success?
The official Russian outlet, which provides regular status updates on the bridge, said its operation had been suspended for about three hours.
It provided no reason for the temporary closure but said the bridge had been reopened and was functioning normally.