A Russian couple was killed, and their daughter wounded on Monday in what Russia said was a Ukrainian attack on the Crimean Bridge, an artery for Russian troops fighting in Ukraine and a prestige project personally opened by President Vladimir Putin. Blasts were reported before dawn on the 19-km (12-mile) road and rail bridge that links Russia to Crimea, which Russia annexed from Ukraine in 2014. It is the main conduit for ferrying supplies to the Black Sea naval base in Sevastopol.
“This was devised, carried out, and ordered by the special services of Ukraine,” Kremlin spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said. She did not give any evidence or offer a timeline for the attack. A source close to Ukraine’s security service, the SBU, told AFP that waterborne drones struck the bridge.
The head of Crimea, Sergei Aksenov, warned residents and travelers to use alternative routes after the blasts and a video appeared online showing a section of the bridge ripped open.
It’s the second time in two months that the bridge has been hit, and it comes as Russia is pushing back a Ukrainian counteroffensive near the border with its Black Sea fleet. In a blow on his 70th birthday, the damage to the bridge could undermine Putin’s image as a leader who can bolster his nation’s economy and military.
Russia’s annexation of the peninsula from Ukraine in 2014 has angered many in the West, and it’s a significant flashpoint in Russia’s long conflict with Ukraine. The bridge symbolizes Russia’s annexation and a growing economic and military partnership with Crimea, where more than a million Russian citizens live.
The blasts have triggered renewed calls for Ukraine to withdraw its troops from the peninsula and end the fighting in disputed regions of the country’s eastern border. It also raises doubts about whether Ukraine can keep its promise to a deal to sell grain to Russia through the Sea of Azov.
Ukraine’s air force could strike the bridge but would face robust anti-aircraft systems and the latest Russian missile defenses, including S-300 and S-400 batteries. The smaller, unmanned drones it uses now are more suited for taking out vehicles or command posts, not concrete and steel sections.
The Russian-installed leader of Crimea, Sergei Aksenov, blamed the attack on Ukraine’s “terrorist regime.” He urged Moscow to kill the people behind it, and a senior official at the security council warned that Russia would respond by targeting “terrorists in Ukraine.” The attack is a violation of international law and should be stopped, the officials said. They called for an emergency meeting of the council. In a phone call to Putin, Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said that the government was considering a variety of responses, including possibly shutting off a gas pipeline to Ukraine. Medvedev, who has close ties to Putin, criticized the bridge blasts as political. He promised an investigation into the incident.
