Moscow-backed authorities in occupied Crimea have blocked traffic on the bridge between the peninsula and Russia for a second night running.
The move by Russia’s proxy authorities took place in the early hours of Monday, a day after the bridge was closed following reports of explosions close to the Crimean port city of Feodosia, around 60 miles from the bridge.
The 11-mile Kerch Bridge links Russia’s Krasnodar region and the peninsula, which Vladimir Putin illegally annexed in 2014. In the two years of Putin’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Kyiv has repeatedly targeted the bridge, often using Western-supplied missiles, damaging the supply route for Russia’s military.
The Telegram channel Crimean Bridge, which provides operational information about the structure, gave updates on Sunday evening that traffic had no problem in passing.
But around 12:30 a.m. Monday morning, the channel said that traffic had been stopped and that “those on the bridge and in the inspection area are asked to remain calm and follow the instructions of transport security officers.”
Within three hours, there were 79 vehicles in the queue on the Krasnodar side and no queue on the Kerch side of the bridge.
Traffic resumed again at around 4:45 a.m., fours hours after traffic was blocked, although no further explanation was given for the closure. Newsweek has contacted the Russian defense ministry for comment.
On Sunday, the ministry had said Kyiv had targeted Crimea with 38 airborne drones but Russian air defense systems had managed to down them all, although Moscow did not specify where they were hit or whether they had caused any damage.
It follows a report by Kremlin media outlet RT last week that it had obtained a recording of German military officials discussing strikes on the bridge, in claims which as Newsweek previously reported, are being investigated by Germany’s defense ministry.
On Monday, Russia’s foreign ministry summoned the German ambassador to Moscow, Alexander Lambsdorff, the state-run Tass news agency reported, citing an unnamed source.
Although RT’s claims have not been verified, they signify the importance of the bridge which for Kyiv is considered to be a symbol of Russian occupation and thus a target for attacks, while for Moscow, is a key conduit for its war effort.
Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelensky, told the Aspen Security Forum in July 2023, the bridge was a legitimate military target for Kyiv whose war aims include the liberation of the peninsula.
On October 8, 2022, a major explosion on the bridge caused parts of the Crimea-bound road segment to collapse oil tanker wagons on the rail section to catch fire.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.