The Crimean Bridge connects mainland Russia with Russia’s annexed Crimea peninsula in Ukraine. It has a high symbolic value for both Moscow and Kiev. Putin himself inaugurated it five years ago.
The bridge over the Kerch Strait, which was attacked on Monday night, is the most important road and rail link between mainland Russia and the Russian-occupied Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea. The 19-kilometer-long structure was personally inaugurated in May 2018 by Kremlin boss Vladimir Putin. Four years earlier, Russia had annexed Crimea.
In December 2019, the railway connection across the bridge was inaugurated – also by Putin personally. At that time, the head of the Kremlin steered a train over the building. Russia hired billionaire Arkady Rotenberg, a judo partner of Putin, to build the bridge, which began in 2016.
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The bridge is of great importance for the supply of the Crimea and the Russian troops stationed there. Kiev had demanded the “dismantling” of the “illegal” bridge – “it doesn’t matter how: voluntarily or not”. Ukraine also regularly reiterates that it wants to recapture Crimea from Russia. The bridge therefore has a very high symbolic meaning – for Moscow as well as for Kiev.
Explosion also in October 2022
The bridge was severely damaged when a truck bomb exploded in October 2022. Three people were killed in the process. Moscow had blamed Ukrainian secret services for the attack, but Kiev denied involvement at the time.
Once again the Crimean Bridge was damaged. Russia speaks of a “Ukrainian act of terrorism”. AFP via Getty Images
The current attack was carried out by Ukrainian special forces with naval drones, as the news agency AFP and several Ukrainian media from circles of the Ukrainian domestic secret service SBU learned. It was a “special operation” by the SBU and the Navy. According to Russian sources, a Russian couple driving in a car was killed and the couple’s daughter was injured.
2023-07-17 11:27:34
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