Russia has reported two missiles fired over the Crimean Bridge. No damage was caused, but traffic was temporarily stopped. Images with clouds of smoke over the bridge can be seen on social networks.
There have been renewed explosions at the Kerch Bridge between mainland Russia and Ukraine’s annexed Black Sea peninsula of Crimea. The Russian air defenses shot down two enemy missiles, Moscow’s governor of the peninsula, Sergey Aksyonov, said on Telegram. “The Crimean bridge is not damaged,” he wrote.
Pillars of smoke over Crimean bridge
This could not initially be verified independently. Car traffic over the 19-kilometer structure has been temporarily suspended. In the meantime, photos and videos have been published on social networks showing high columns of smoke on the bridge, which is strategically important for Russia.
According to an adviser to Aksyonov, smoke was artificially generated by Russian special forces to defend the bridge. Local residents, however, reported the sound of an explosion.
Bridge attacked several times
The bridge over the Kerch Strait has been attacked several times in recent months. An attack in July had caused severe damage to the street portion of the structure. President Putin then ordered increased security measures for the bridge.
Crimea itself is also a regular target of Ukrainian attacks. Only on Saturday morning did the Russian Defense Ministry report the shooting down of 20 drones over Crimea.
There was initially no official reaction from Kiev to the most recent incident on the bridge.