The Kerch Bridge connecting the Crimean Republic to the Russian mainland has reportedly been damaged in a joint “special operation” in the early hours of Monday.
One span of the bridge has been destroyed, with another part damaged during the attack which claimed at least two lives, and injured a child.
The Russian authorities have yet to announce the reason behind the incident.
Russia’s Ministry of Transport has confirmed that the bridge’s road surface on one of the tracks has been damaged. However, it did not corroborate reports about more extensive damage, saying that “the span constructions remain on their supports,” RT reports.
According to a source for RBK Ukraina, the key infrastructure linking the peninsula with mainland Russia was attacked by an unspecified number of sea surface drones. “It was difficult to reach the bridge, but finally the task was accomplished,” he said.
Ukrainian officials have cheered the incident but have yet to confirm their direct involvement in the reported attack. Andrey Yusov, a spokesman for Ukraine’s Main Directorate of Intelligence, described the Crimean Bridge as a “redundant construction,” but refused to elaborate.
Traffic on the bridge was stopped in the early hours of Monday, with Crimean Governor Sergey Aksyonov citing an unspecified “emergency.” Later, Belgorod Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said that a married couple from his region was killed in the incident and their daughter was injured.
Ukraine has attempted to target the strategic link in the past, according to Moscow. Last week, the Russian Defense Ministry said that Kiev attempted to strike the bridge with a missile, but failed to penetrate the air defences.
In October last year, the bridge was damaged in a deadly truck bombing, which Moscow said was orchestrated by Ukrainian intelligence services. At the time, Russia responded by intensifying missile strikes on Ukraine’s military and energy infrastructure.
Photos and videos from the scene shared by Telegram channels Baza and Mash show considerable damage to the key link between the Crimean Peninsula and mainland Russia, with one of the spans hanging lower than the others.
Traffic on the Crimean Bridge was stopped on Monday morning, with Crimean Governor Sergey Aksyonov citing an unspecified “emergency.” Belgorod Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said that a married couple from his region was killed in the incident, while their daughter was injured. According to RIA Novosti, she was admitted to a hospital and is now in intensive care.