Crimean Bridge ‘must come down,’ Ukraine says at Permanent Court of Arbitration

Ukraine has said the Crimean Bridge "must come down" as it accused Russia of flouting maritime laws at the Permanent Court of Arbitration on Sept. 23.

Speaking at the Permanent Court of Arbitration, Ambassador-at-Large at the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry, Anton Korynevych, said Russia "wants to take the Sea of Azov and Kerch Strait for itself."

"So it has built a great gate at their entrance, to keep international shipping out while allowing small Russian river vessels in," he said, adding: "The bridge is unlawful, and it must come down."

Ukraine began proceedings at the court in 2016 when Russia began construction of the Crimean Bridge to link the occupied peninsula with the Russian mainland.

Kyiv says it was built deliberately low to the water in order to keep out international shipping.

The structure became a critical supply route for Russian forces after the launch of Moscow's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

The bridge was heavily damaged by Ukrainian strikes in October 2022 and July 2023, prompting Russia to take steps to further defend the structure.

"Russia now views the Kerch Strait, the Sea of Azov, and perhaps even parts of the Black Sea, as its proprietary waters," Korynevych said.

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"Russia wants these waters to be viewed as part of its 21st century empire.  And while you will hear Russia’s experts say the Sea of Azov is similar to a lake or a river, Ukraine does not accept this, and neither should this Tribunal," he added.

Russia's representative at the court, Gennady Kuzmin, said the claims are "simply wrong."

International arbitration cases can take years to resolve, and a judgment in the case is not expected anytime soon.

Last month Kyiv's Military Intelligence Chief Kyrylo Budanov said Ukraine is working on a "complex solution" that could destroy the bridge in the coming months.

Speaking to national TV, he said "work is ongoing" to take out the structure which connects the Russian mainland with the peninsula, and has been a crucial supply route for the Russian military in Ukraine.

"Everyone is working on long-range strikes and (the destruction of the Crimean bridge),"he said in comments reported by Ukrinform.

"All this requires, let's say, a complex solution."

Ukraine's Navy said in June that destroying the Kerch Bridge in occupied Crimea would not have the same effect now because Russia barely uses it for military purposes anymore.

Vasyl Maliuk, head of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), did not rule out that Russia may try to use the structure for weapons supplies again after it is fully restored.

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The Kyiv IndependentAsami Terajima