Ukraine launched a deadly kamikaze drone strike today and hit Vladimir Putin’s £3billion bridge linking Russia to Crimea, pro-Moscow authorities have claimed.
Dramatic footage shows the moment huge explosions hit the major 12-mile crossing, with large flashes and thunderous blasts seen and heard from neighbouring towns.
Two people were killed and their 14-year-old daughter was seriously injured following the blasts on the Crimean bridge, which is a major supply artery for Russian troops fighting in Ukraine and a prestige project that was personally opened by Putin.
The bridge was severely damaged in the double strike, with pictures showing twisted metal barriers, debris and a damaged car on the bridge.
Dash cam footage showed drivers braking sharply shortly after the explosions destroyed parts of the crossing.
At least two people were killed, and video footage from the scene showed damage to the bridge, causing confusion and panic among tourists
Eyewitnesses reported one span and a support pillar collapsed during the attack which occurred just after 3am local time. Pictured: The Crimean bridge after the strike, with the area believed to have been destroyed highlighted in yellow
Two explosions were heard on Vladimir Putin’s £3 billion 12-mile bridge, connecting annexed Crimea to Russia resulting in casualties. The same bridge was also hit in October, as pictured above
Tourists were seen telling a wounded woman in a black car not to move but to wait for assistance.
It was initially unclear how great the structural damage is to the crossing.
The bridge had been previously attacked in a bomb explosion in October 2022.
In the latest incident one span and a support pillar ‘collapsed’, according to eyewitnesses.
The timing of the explosions was put at 03:04 and 03:20 local time.
Russia immediately blamed Ukraine’s armed forces for the explosions but it was initially unclear if the attack was by missile, kamikaze sea drone or an explosion in a vehicle crossing the structure – or who was responsible.
Initial Russian suspicions focused on marine drones.
Video from the bridge showed damage to the structure amid scenes of confusion and panic from tourists
The attack came as the Russian authorities had vocally encouraged people to visit the Black Sea peninsula despite it being in the war zone.
Queues of traffic immediately worsened during the night as the bridge became inoperable.
Vladimir Putin was reported to have been woken, and an emergency meeting of Russia’s security council was expected.
Ambulances were seeking to reach the location of the emergency.
Wounded people were reportedly trapped inside a vehicle on the bridge.
Sergey Aksyonov, Moscow-appointed ruler of Crimea, said:
‘Given the current situation, I ask residents and guests of the peninsula to refrain from travelling over the Crimean Bridge and, for security reasons, to choose an alternative land route through new regions.’
In Monday’s attack, traffic could be seen coming to a halt as a portion of the bridge fell away
One of the damaged vehicles could be seen in footage posted to social media
An armed ship sails next to Crimean bridge connecting the Russian mainland with the peninsula across the Kerch Strait, Crimea on Monday
A view shows the Crimean bridge connecting the Russian mainland with the peninsula
The occupation official said: ‘Traffic has been stopped on the Crimea Bridge.
‘An emergency occurred in the area of the 145th support from the Krasnodar region.
‘Law enforcement agencies and all responsible services are working.
‘I spoke with the Minister of Transport of the Russian Federation Vitaly Savelyev,.
‘Measures are being taken to restore the situation.
‘We keep in touch with colleagues from the Krasnodar region,.’
The crossing links Krasnodar to Crimea over the Kerch Strait between the Black and Azov seas.
Social media postings appear to show a portion of the 12-mile bridge having entirely collapsed
Footage posted online was extremely grainy with few discernable details
Head of Crimea Sergei Aksyonov, 49, meets president Vladimir Putin
There was no immediate comment from the Ukrainians.
Putin illegally annexed Crimea in 2014.
The bridge, a major engineering feat, was Putin’s flagship project and the dictator opened the crossing in 2018.
It comprises a separate roadway and railway, both supported by concrete stilts.
The middle section is a wider span held by steel arches allowing shipping to pass underneath.
Traffic was halted today on both road and rail sections of the crossing.
One train had been held on the Krasnodar side of the crossing for almost two hours on the Krasnodar side with no explanation to passengers, said Telegram reports.
It was built by a company owned by Arkady Rotenberg, a close personal friend and former judo partner of Putin.
The bridge is key for Russian supplies and tourist traffic to the spectacular peninsula.
It is also used as a military supply route.
Ferries – including naval landing ships – have web deployed across the Kerch Strait.
This followed enhanced security checks in recent weeks amid fears of a new strike by Ukraine.
Russian propaganda had previously claimed the Crimean bridge was impossible to attack because of 20 different kinds of security protecting it, including military dolphins
The bridge had been previously attacked in a bomb explosion in October 2022
In early July, a video from the Ukrainian defence ministry warned of the risk of attacks in Crimea.
The message stated: ‘Big plans this summer?
‘A travel advisory is in effect for certain beaches.
‘We warned you last summer to stay away from Crimea.’
There was a key Russian fear that disgruntled Wagner fighters turning against Putin could attack the bridge, said Telegram channel Ukrainian channel InformNapalm two weeks ago.
Its post stated: ‘Who is the most terrible saboteur in Russia now?
‘That’s right, Wagner PMC [Private Military Company] rebels.
‘It is possible that some attentive people passed information to the FSB that the Wagnerites are preparing to bring explosives and ammunition to Crimea, because the agreements on the part of the Kremlin have not been fully implemented.’
A girl, 14, was injured in the bridge strike, reported Baza media outlet.
She was a tourist from Stary Oskol in Belgorod region and was taken to a hospital in Krasnodar region.
She suffered body wounds, a broken nose and concussion, reported Baza.
Her parents died in the incident, said reports which had not been officially confirmed.
Later the Ministry of Transport denied structural damage to the support pillar of the bridge while admitting the roadway was damaged, reported Mash media outlet.
The pro-Russian authorities in Crimea urged people not to seek to cross the bridge.
A train from Crimea to Moscow was held on the peninsula side of the crossing, its power switched off.
Initial reports were confused over the likely cause of the strikes.
Military channels on Telegram speculated on a kamikaze marine drone.
Pro-Kremlin Readovka channel suggested ‘a missile attack was carried out on the Crimean bridge, as a result of which the 145th support pillar collapsed’.
This is one of 600 pillars on the bridge but it was initially unconfirmed that there had been a collapse.
A later Readovka report stated: ‘The Crimean bridge could have been attacked by naval drones.
‘Attacks on the Crimean bridge could have been carried out by surface UAVs.
‘This is evidenced by the nature of the damage to the support and the fact that the damage…[was] to a much shorter extent than after the first terrorist attack last autumn.
‘At the same time, air-to-ground missiles could also be used, as previously reported.
‘Most likely, the drones were delivered to the line of attack using a mother ship….’
Or ‘an enemy drone could also be launched from the territory of a third country, such as Georgia.
Kyiv ‘previously used the territory of other states to organise the first terrorist attack on the Crimean bridge.
‘According to available information, one support was damaged, one span collapsed, another partially.’
The damage was to the road, not the rail section of the crossing, reported Readovka.
Russia launched a formal criminal case into the bridge strikes.
‘A specially-created group of the most experienced investigators in the investigation of particularly important cases and forensic investigators left to conduct investigative actions in connection with the incident on the Crimean bridge,’ said a statement from the Russian Investigative Committee in occupied Crimea.
