The Crimean Bridge was shut down by Russian proxy authorities in occupied Crimea for nearly one hour during the night of Sept. 12, Russian sources claimed.
The Russian state news outlet RIA Novosti and the Telegram channel for the Crimean Bridge claimed at around 1:40 a.m. local time that the bridge was closed to traffic. Drivers on the bridge were allegedly asked to remain calm and follow the instructions of transport security staff.
About 50 minutes later, it was announced that traffic had resumed on the bridge.
No reason has been given for the closure.
On Sept. 10, the Ukrainian military reported that the Crimean Bridge is still unable to function normally following a July drone strike.
The bridge, also called the Kerch Bridge, connects the Russian mainland with the Russian-occupied Crimean peninsula. Construction on the bridge began after the illegal 2014 annexation and occupation of Crimea, and was completed in 2018.
The 19-kilometer long bridge is a critical supplies and transport route for Russian forces in Crimea and mainland Ukraine, and has been the target of repeated attacks following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
On Oct. 8, 2022, an explosion collapsed a section of the road bridge and damaged part of the railway bridge. Another section of the road bridge collapsed following an attack on July 17 of this year, while another attack on Aug. 12 temporarily closed traffic.
Russian forces claimed to have prevented another attack on Sept. 2, and in late August Ukrainian authorities reported that Russia had begun sinking ferries in order to protect the bridge from attacks by sea.
Alexander Khrebet
