Ukraine said on Tuesday that it had launched a third major strike on the bridge connecting mainland Russia to the occupied Crimean Peninsula, using underwater explosives to damage the structure's critical support columns. The attack, conducted by Ukraine's Security Service (SBU), marks a continued campaign by Kyiv to sever Russian military supply lines and symbolically challenge President Vladimir Putin's control over the annexed region.
The SBU announced via Telegram that its operatives had planted and detonated explosives beneath the Kerch Strait bridge-also known as the Crimean or Kerch Bridge-at precisely 4:44 a.m. Tuesday. The agency said the operation, months in the making, used 1,100 kilograms of TNT-equivalent explosives to target underwater piers and left the bridge "in disrepair."
"We've already hit the Crimean Bridge twice, in 2022 and 2023. Today, we continued that tradition," SBU Chief Lieutenant General Vasyl Maliuk said. Maliuk emphasized the bridge remains "a completely legitimate target," calling it a "logistical artery" for Russian troops fighting in Ukraine.
Built by Russia following its 2014 annexation of Crimea, the $4 billion bridge serves as both a critical military conduit and a potent symbol of Moscow's territorial ambitions. Putin himself inaugurated the span in 2018. While the extent of the latest damage remains unclear, the bridge operator confirmed that traffic was suspended, and Russian authorities temporarily halted maritime operations near Sevastopol.
Local Telegram channels, including those linked to Russian defense interests, reported additional drone activity at the bridge Tuesday afternoon. The Rybar channel, which often reflects the Russian military's perspective, said Ukraine likely deployed slow-moving underwater drones such as the Marichka or Toloka models. It added that wreckage from one such drone had fallen on the roadway, temporarily halting traffic between 6 a.m. and 9 a.m.
According to the pro-Kremlin Mash channel, a Ukrainian drone was shot down, scattering debris on the bridge. Later in the day, the Crimean Wind Telegram account reported another "powerful explosion" near Kerch and a helicopter patrolling the strait, suggesting renewed Ukrainian strikes.
This latest operation follows an unprecedented drone assault on June 1 targeting Russian nuclear-capable bombers stationed deep within Russian territory. The SBU said that raid damaged 34% of Russia's strategic cruise missile fleet and inflicted an estimated $7 billion in losses.
