- Putin vows retaliation after attack on Russia-Crimea bridge
- Ukraine denies official responsibility for the incident
- Bridge serves as vital supply route for Russian forces in southern Ukraine
Vladimir Putin has pledged retaliation after a “terrorist” attack on the bridge connecting Russia and Crimea.
Moscow has blamed Ukraine for the incident, which resulted in the deaths of two individuals, but Kyiv has not officially claimed responsibility.
The Kerch Bridge was inaugurated in 2018 and permits road and rail travel between Russia and Crimea, which Russia annexed from Ukraine in 2014.
The Russian Ministry of Transport stated that the bridge’s supports were undamaged.
The ministry stated that investigations are ongoing, but unconfirmed reports indicate that explosions were heard early on Monday morning.
The Russian government has accused Ukraine of attacking the Kerch bridge with two “unmanned surface vessels” (USVs) – waterborne drones.
However, a Ukrainian security agency source claimed responsibility and used water-based drones.
In Monday evening televised remarks, the Russian president accused Ukraine of launching the “senseless” and “cruel” attack.
The assault on the bridge has damaged the road it carries but has not affected the parallel railway line.
The bridge serves as a vital resupply route for Russian forces occupying portions of southern Ukraine.
Deputy Prime Minister Marat Khusnullin, who appeared on television with Mr. Putin, stated that the bridge would be thoroughly repaired by 1 November and that one-way traffic would resume on 15 September.
Monday’s event produced traffic jams on Crimea’s remaining road route and substantial train delays. Parallel to the bridge is a ferry crossing that was also disrupted.
Russian officials urged tourists detained in Crimea to return home via regions of southern Ukraine that Russia has occupied since it invaded Ukraine a year ago. The officials said the army will “secure” the highway and reduce curfew hours to let travellers through.
Since Moscow’s invasion, commercial flights between Russia and Crimea, a popular holiday destination for Russians since 2014, have been suspended.
Vyacheslav Gladkov, the governor of the western Russian region of Belgorod, which is close to Russia’s frontier with Ukraine, announced via Telegram on Monday that a Russian couple had been killed in the incident. He added that their fourteen-year-old daughter was injured.
He said that neither party will reveal much about what happened.
Stuart Crawford, a defense analyst, told that he believes drones were used to attack the bridge.
He said that neither party will reveal much about what happened.
Maria Zakharova, a spokesperson for the Russian foreign ministry, accused Ukraine of assaulting the Kerch bridge with the “direct participation” of the United Kingdom and the United States but offered no evidence to support her claims.
Dmitry Peskov, a spokesman for the Kremlin, stated that there was no connection between the incident and Russia’s decision to suspend its participation in an agreement allowing Ukraine to export grain via the Black Sea.
The alleged assault is the second significant incident to occur on the Kerch Bridge in the past year.
The bridge was partially closed in October 2022 due to a massive detonation. In February, it reopened in its entirety.
Even now, the cause of the detonation that occurred in October remains unknown. Several automobiles and semitrailers were crossing the bridge at the time a massive conflagration erupted, as captured on film.
The latest event occurred during a highly expected Ukrainian counteroffensive to retake southern and eastern Ukraine.
During the past week, Ukraine’s forces have recaptured 18 square kilometers (7 square miles) of territory, according to Ukraine’s deputy defense minister Hanna Maliar via the messaging app Telegram.
The counteroffensive has recaptured 210 square kilometres (81 square miles) since it began.
