LATEST: Crimean bridge defenses being bolstered by underwater drone traps, according to reports.
Russia is building a new but unidentified structure near the Crimean Bridge, Navy spokesperson Dmytro Pletenchuk said on national television on Sept. 26.
The purpose of the construction is not yet currently known for certain, Pletenchuk said, adding that it is unlikely to be completed "this season."
"It could be a defense structure, it could be another crossing, but it's a bit early to draw conclusions," he added.
Construction on the 19-kilometer-long bridge began after the illegal occupation of Crimea in 2014 and was completed in 2018.
The bridge connects the Russian mainland with the Russian-occupied Crimean peninsula and became a critical supply route for Russian forces after the launch of Moscow's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Pletenchuk said that no matter what the structure is, deteriorating weather conditions as winter approaches will make it difficult to complete.
"They are constantly trying to place something new in the Kerch Strait, to build various hydrotechnical or barrier structures. But periodically they end up on the shore after another storm," he said.
The bridge was heavily damaged by Ukrainian strikes in October 2022 and July 2023. Following these attacks, Russian proxies further fortified the bridge with underwater barriers.
Russian proxy authorities in occupied Crimea regularly shut down traffic on the bridge amid reports of explosions and drone strikes.
According to Ukraine's Navy, destroying the Crimean Bridge now 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.
The Crimean Bridge is currently the subject of a dispute between Ukraine and Russia at the Permanent Court of Arbitration
Speaking there on Sept. 23, 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."
Chris York
