Ukraine reported on Tuesday that it had targeted the bridge that links Russia to the occupied Crimean Peninsula by using explosives placed underwater. This marks the third assault on the crucial supply route for Moscow’s forces since the full-scale conflict began in 2022.
The whole operation took several months, it added.
The SBU said Malyuk had also overseen Tuesday’s attack.
The Ukrainian security service, known as the SBU, shared on Telegram that its operatives had planted explosives on the supports of the Crimean Bridge, alternatively referred to as the Kerch Bridge, and initiated the first blast at 4.44 am on Tuesday (11.44 am AEST).
“God loves the Trinity, and the SBU always sees things through to the end and never repeats the same actions. We previously targeted the Crimean Bridge twice, in 2022 and 2023. Hence today, we continued this tradition, this time underwater,” stated Malyuk.
As well as serving as a vital supply line for Moscow’s troops, the Crimean Bridge also has huge symbolic value for President Vladimir Putin, embodying his objective to bind the Ukrainian peninsula to Russia.
Built after Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014, Putin opened the bridge in 2018. The project cost around $US3.7 billion ($5.7 billion).
Tuesday’s attack marks the third time that Ukraine has targeted the bridge since Moscow’s full-scale invasion in 2022.
In October of that year, a fuel truck exploded on the bridge, engulfing a part of it in flames.
In July 2023, the SBU said it had blown up a part of the bridge using an experimental sea drone. Both times, Russia moved quickly to repair the damaged sections.
As well as suspending traffic on the bridge, Russian authorities temporarily halted maritime traffic in the waters off Sevastopol, the largest city in Crimea, according to state media RIA Novosti.
