Ukraine Strikes Russia's Crimean Bridge with Underwater Explosives

Ukraine's security service (SBU) announced on Tuesday that it had carried out a special operation targeting the bridge linking Russia to the Crimean Peninsula. According to the agency, explosives were planted underwater and detonated in a precision strike that marked the third Ukrainian attack on the structure since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022.

“The Security Service of Ukraine carried out a new unique special operation and struck the Crimean Bridge for the third time – this time underwater!” the SBU said in a post on Telegram.

The agency revealed that the operation had been in the works for several months. Underwater explosives—reportedly weighing 1,100 kilograms—were placed at the base of the bridge and detonated at 4:44 a.m. local time on Tuesday. The blast "severely damaged" the underwater supports of the 12-mile-long bridge, also known as the Kerch Bridge, the SBU claimed.

A Symbolic and Strategic Target

The Kerch Bridge, built after Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014, holds both strategic and symbolic value. It serves as a critical supply line for Moscow’s military and is widely viewed as a personal project of President Vladimir Putin. Since the outbreak of war, the bridge has become a high-profile target for Ukrainian forces.

“God loves the Trinity, and the SBU always sees things through to the end and never does the same thing twice,” said Vasyl Malyuk, the head of Ukraine’s security service. “We previously struck the Crimean Bridge twice, in 2022 and 2023. So today we continued this tradition, this time underwater.”

Temporary Traffic Disruption

While Russian authorities have yet to publicly respond to the Ukrainian claims, earlier on Tuesday, the bridge operator posted on Telegram that traffic had been temporarily suspended. By 9:00 a.m. local time, the operator said that normal operations had resumed.

The attack follows another bold move by the SBU just days earlier, when the agency reportedly launched an air raid targeting Russia’s fleet of nuclear-capable strategic bombers.

This latest strike underscores Ukraine’s ongoing efforts to weaken Russia’s logistical capabilities and maintain psychological pressure through precision sabotage missions.