Ukraine strikes bridge connecting Russia to Crimea with underwater explosives

Ukraine said on Tuesday that it had hit the bridge connecting Russia and the occupied Crimean Peninsula with explosives planted underwater, in its third attack on the vital supply line for Moscow’s forces since the full-scale war began in 2022.

The SBU posted a video, photograph and statement to its official Telegram channel detailing the operation, which it said "lasted several months."

"SBU agents mined the supports of this illegal facility," the statement read. "And today, without any civilian casualties, at 4:44 am the first explosive device was activated."

"The underwater supports of the piers were severely damaged at the bottom level -- 1,100 kg of explosives in TNT equivalent contributed to this," the SBU said. "In fact, the bridge is in a state of emergency."

Vasul Malyuk, the head of the SBU, said that attack caused an estimated $7 billion in damage and had struck 34% of Russia’s strategic cruise missile carriers, which have been used to pummel Ukrainian cities throughout the war.

The SBU said Malyuk had also supervised Tuesday's strike.

“God loves the Trinity, and the SBU always sees things through to the end and never does the same thing twice. We have already twice attacked the Crimean Bridge in 2023 and 2022. Today we carried on this custom, this time underwater," Malyuk remarked.

He stressed that the bridge is a “completely legitimate target,” since Russia uses it “as a logistical artery to supply its troops” fighting in mainland Ukraine.

As well as serving as a vital supply line for Moscow’s troops, the Crimean Bridge also has huge symbolic value for President Vladimir Putin, embodying his objective to bind the Ukrainian peninsula to Russia.

Early Tuesday morning, then once more mid-afternoon, traffic on the bridge was paused until picking back up just before 6 p.m. local time.

Tuesday’s attack marks the third time that Ukraine has targeted the bridge since Moscow’s full-scale invasion in 2022.  A gasoline tanker burst on the bridge in October of that year, consuming a section in flames. The SBU reported in July 2023 that an experimental marine drone had blown up a section of the bridge. Both times, Russia moved quickly to repair the damaged sections.