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By Shane Croucher
Senior Editor
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The Kremlin confirmed a Ukrainian attack on the Kerch Bridge that connects Russia to Crimea, but said the crossing remains operational and there was no damage, despite video footage capturing the moment an underwater explosion rocked the structure.
Ukraine's security service (SBU) revealed on June 3 it had carried out a special operation targeting the Crimean bridge, saying it had mined the underwater supports and the explosions left it "in disrepair." It was followed by a naval drone attack.
It was the third attack against the Crimean Bridge—a strategically important road and rail structure, and a symbol of Moscow's occupation of the Ukrainian peninsula—since Russia's full-scale invasion began in 2022.
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Why It Matters
The Crimean Bridge is a critical supply and transport route for Russian forces in their ongoing invasion of Ukraine. The Kerch Bridge is also a physical representation of Moscow's view that the peninsula is an inseparable part of Russia.
Russian President Vladimir Putin illegally annexed Crimea in 2014. Ukraine regards Crimea as its territory and the Russian occupation as temporary, and says it will never recognize Moscow's sovereignty.
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What to Know
The SBU's latest operation against the bridge follows its mass drone strike on Russia's nuclear-capable strategic bombers on June 1—dubbed by some observers as "Russia's Pearl Harbor"—delivering a double blow for Moscow.
In a post on Telegram, the SBU said its agents had mined the underwater supports of the bridge in an operation months in the planning, detonating the first device at 4:44 a.m. local time on Tuesday.
The SBU said it had "badly damaged" those supports with the explosives, which had the blast equivalent of 1,100 kilograms of TNT. "In fact, the bridge is in disrepair," the SBU said.
"There was indeed an explosion." Russian presidential spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said at a press briefing on June 4, Meduza reported, adding "nothing was damaged. The bridge is operational."
"The Kyiv regime continues its attempts to attack civilian infrastructure. The Russian side is taking appropriate precautionary measures, based on the well-known and obvious nature of the Kyiv regime."
Newsweek has contacted Ukraine's security service for comment via email to its press office.
The Black Sea peninsula is home to a large Russian-speaking majority and Russia's only warm water naval base.
Putin views the Soviet-era decision to make Crimea Ukrainian territory in 1954 as a major error, one that he sought to correct. Ukraine gained its independence from Moscow—and took Crimea with it—in the collapse of the Soviet Union during the 1990s.
What People Are Saying
Vasyl Malyuk, head of the SBU, said on June 3 when announcing the operation: "God loves the Trinity, and the SBU always completes its plans and never repeats itself. Earlier, we hit the Crimean Bridge twice in 2022 and 2023. So today we continued this tradition under water.
"No illegal objects of the Russian Federation have a place on the territory of our state. Therefore, the Crimean bridge is an absolutely legitimate target, especially given that the enemy used it as a logistical artery to supply its troops.
"Crimea is Ukraine, and any manifestations of occupation will receive our harsh response."
What Happens Next
The war continues to rage, with Russia and Ukraine hitting each other with waves of drone attacks and other strikes.
The two sides are again engaging in direct negotiations after a more than three-year hiatus, though progress towards a potential ceasefire is slow.
They have now exchanged memoranda on their ceasefire demands, and further talks are expected in the coming days.
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