Ukraine’s domestic intelligence agency announced on Monday that it carried out an underwater operation targeting the Crimean Bridge, reportedly damaging the structure’s underwater supports.
According to the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) in a post on Telegram, the operation took several months to prepare and was executed in the early hours of the morning on June 3rd. At approximately 4:44 a.m. local time, the agency says, the first explosive device was detonated. Ukrainian officials claim that the blast severely damaged the bridge’s underwater support structures at the seabed level, using an explosive charge equivalent to 1,100 kilograms of TNT.
There have been no reports of civilian casualties related to the incident.
Lieutenant General Vasyl Maliuk, head of the SBU, reportedly oversaw the planning and execution of the operation. In a public statement, Maliuk called the bridge a “legitimate target,” citing its use by Russian forces as a logistics route.
This marks the third reported Ukrainian operation against the Crimean Bridge since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022. The previous attacks took place in October 2022 and July 2023.
The Crimean Bridge, also known as the Kerch Bridge, connects mainland Russia with the Crimean Peninsula, which was annexed by Russia in 2014. Ukraine and most of the international community consider Crimea to be part of Ukrainian territory, and Kyiv has consistently stated its intention to reclaim the region.
Russian officials have not yet publicly confirmed the damage or issued a response to the SBU’s statement.
