Early on Tuesday morning, an underwater attack was carried out against one of the bridge's large foundations, according to a statement from the Ukrainian security service SBU.
A difficult-to-verify video clip accompanying the statement shows a powerful explosion in the water near a large bridge pier and an image shows destruction on the bridge's road surface.
Ukraine said it had "carried out a new and unique special operation in an attack on the Crimean Bridge for the third time – this time underwater”.
Resumed traffic
Russian state media reported that traffic over the strategically important bridge between the Russian mainland and the illegally annexed Crimean Peninsula was stopped for four hours. Traffic on the over 18-kilometer-long bridge resumed on Tuesday afternoon.
Further information, which could not be verified, spoke of over 1,000 kilograms of explosives being placed on one of the bridge's underwater pillars, and that the explosion had caused "serious damage" according to SBU.
"The operation lasted for several months. SBU agents mined the pillars of this illegal object”.
Two previous attacks
Ukraine has targeted the Crimean Bridge twice before, in 2022 and 2023, with explosive charges that then destroyed large parts of its road surface.
Ukraine considers the bridge a legitimate target in the Russian invasion war, as Russia transports forces and military equipment over the bridge.
Russia built the bridge over the Kerch Strait after the annexation of the Crimean Peninsula in 2014. It was completed and opened in 2018. It connects Crimea in the west and the Russian region of Krasnodar in the east.
