Ukraine war: Russia says it thwarted drone attacks on Crimea bridge
- The attempted strike by three unmanned naval craft forced the temporary closure of the bridge for a third time in less than a year
- The Kerch bridge, a key supply route for Kremlin forces in the Ukraine war, has come under repeated attack since Russia launched its invasion
Russia said Saturday its forces destroyed three Ukrainian naval drones being used in an attempt to attack a key bridge linking Russia to the Moscow-annexed Crimean Peninsula, forcing its temporary closure for a third time in less than a year.
One naval drone was destroyed late Friday and two others early Saturday morning, according to Russia’s defence ministry. There was no immediate comment from Ukrainian officials.
The Kerch bridge, which is a key supply route for Kremlin forces in Russia’s war with Ukraine, has come under repeated attack since Russia launched its full-scale invasion.
An explosion in October, which Russian authorities said was caused by a truck bomb, left three people dead. A further attack on the bridge in July, killing a couple and seriously wounding their daughter, left a span of the roadway hanging perilously.
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Crimea bridge 'emergency' caused by Ukrainian surface drones, Russia says
The bridge connecting Crimea and Russia carries heavy significance for Moscow, both logistically and psychologically, as a key artery for military and civilian supplies and as an assertion of Kremlin control of the peninsula it annexed in 2014.
