A man and a woman who were driving on the bridge connecting Russia to the annexed Crimean peninsula died in an attack that occurred overnight from Sunday to Monday July 17, Russian authorities report. An assault that Moscow already attributes to Ukraine via Telegram messaging.
“Two civilians, a man and a woman, driving in a passenger car on the bridge were killed,” the Russian investigative committee said in a statement, adding that their daughter was injured.
For their part, the Kyiv armed forces confirmed that they were behind the attack: “Ukrainian special services and naval forces are behind the attack on the Crimean bridge carried out using ‘naval drones’ “, told AFP a source within the Ukrainian security services (SBU). “Today’s attack on the Crimean Bridge is a special operation of the SBU and the Navy,” the source told Agence France-Presse.
“The investigation identifies members of Ukrainian special services and armed formations involved in the organization and execution of this crime,” added the body responsible for the main criminal cases in Russia, which opened an investigation for “act terrorist”.
On Telegram, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova also blamed “the Kiev regime” for carrying out the attack. Regarding the circumstances, the Russian Anti-Terrorism Committee (NAK) said in a statement that it took place at 3:55 a.m. (005 GMT).
Significant damage was observed on the road section of the bridge, the only one that connects Russia to the Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea annexed by Moscow in 2014, and serves as a rear base for the Russian army fighting in Ukraine.
The Russian governor of the annexed Crimean peninsula, Sergei Aksionov, had initially mentioned on Telegram an “emergency” which required traffic to be stopped on the bridge, the Russian Ministry of Transport specifying for its part that the roadway had been “damaged”.
The Crimean Bridge, 18 km long and inaugurated in 2018 after the annexation of the peninsula by Russia, consists in fact of two parallel works, one reserved for road traffic and the other for rail traffic. It crosses the Kerch Strait.
On Telegram, the Crimea-24 public television channel posted a video of the bridge showing a partially collapsed portion of its road section. The Investigative Committee also released a video showing men picking up clues from the causeway leaning out to sea.
The rail section of the bridge, however, was not damaged and traffic resumed there in the morning, Crimean authorities said. Ferry services to cross this arm of the sea have also resumed, motorists wishing to cross the strait being called upon to use them.
Russian Senate Speaker Sergei Mironov said Moscow should retaliate by attacking Ukrainian infrastructure and halting talks on the grain deal, which expires at midnight Monday (2100 GMT).
“That’s what we need to do, not discuss a grain deal that helps Kyiv rulers and their Western masters line their pockets,” he said.
A major tourist destination for Russians, Crimea, which serves as a rear base for the Russian army and has suffered several attacks targeting military infrastructure, is already suffering from the offensive launched in Ukraine and has seen many tourists give up going there. return this year.
The viaduct, which spans the Kerch Strait, had already been damaged on October 8, 2022 by a powerful explosion attributed by the Russian authorities to a truck booby-trapped by the Ukrainian secret services. The attack killed three people.
