The Crimean Bridge, which connects the Russian region of Krasnodar to the Crimean Peninsula, was the target of a new attack on Monday at dawn, attributed by Russia to Ukraine.
“At 03:05, two Ukrainian unmanned surface vehicles attacked the Crimean bridge”, announced the Russian National Anti-Terrorism Committee (NAC) in a press release, relayed by the Russian media, specifying that “two adults were killed and a child was injured, and the bridge platform was damaged”.
Svetlana Petrenko, spokeswoman for the Russian Investigative Committee, the main investigative body in Russia, blamed the attack on Ukrainian special services. “The investigation will establish the members of Ukrainian special services and armed groups who were involved in the organization and execution of this crime,” according to the same source.
Regarding the extent of the damage, the Russian Ministry of Transport reported damage to the roadway of the bridge. “The pavement was damaged on the spans of the Crimean Bridge. The structures of the spans themselves are on their supports”, noted the ministry, specifying that the inspection of the state of the work of art continues.
On the Ukrainian side, the Intelligence Directorate of Ukraine refused to comment on the incident on the Crimean bridge, while media, including the RBC Ukraine agency and the publication “Obozrevatel”, noted that the service of Ukrainian security (SBU) and the country’s naval forces could be involved in the attack carried out with surface drones.
This is the second major attack against the Crimean bridge after that of last October, which left several dead and significant damage. On October 8, a large explosion caused by a truck bomb damaged the bridge, killing at least four people. At the time of the explosion, a freight train was passing by and seven tank cars had caught fire.
Two spans of the bridge collapsed following the explosion, requiring extensive repair work that lasted closer to a month and a half.
Russian authorities had accused Ukraine of organizing the attack, but the latter had denied any responsibility.
On July 9, Ukraine acknowledged its responsibility for the October incident through the voice of the Ukrainian Deputy Defense Minister, Anna Maliar.
“273 days ago (we) carried out the first strike on the Crimean bridge to disrupt the logistics of the Russians,” she announced via Telegram.