Ukraine hits bridge linking Crimea to Russia with underwater explosives

[ad_1] Ukraine has detonated an enormous underwater blast concentrating on the important thing highway and rail bridge connecting the Russian-occupied Crimean peninsula to Russia, damaging its underwater helps.

The operation, claimed by Kyiv’s SBU safety service, is the second high-profile operation by Ukraine in days hanging vital Russian property after a classy drone raid on Moscow’s strategic bomber fleet on Sunday.

<gu-island name="InteractiveBlockComponent" priority="critical" deferuntil="idle" props="{"url":"https://interactive.guim.co.uk/embed/from-tool/looping-video/index.html?poster-image=https%3A%2F%2Fuploads.guim.co.uk%2F2025%2F06%2F03%2FWhatsApp_Video_2025-06-03_at_12.25.32.mp4.00_00_00_00.Still001.jpg&mp4-video=https%3A%2F%2Fuploads.guim.co.uk%2F2025%2F06%2F03%2F250603Ukrainebridge.mp4","scriptUrl":"https://interactive.guim.co.uk/embed/iframe-wrapper/0.1/boot.js","alt":"The Ukrainian attack on the Kerch bridge","format":{"design":0,"display":0,"theme":0},"elementId":"288ba8ab-47a6-4b8d-a6b2-b05c5ce97c38","isMainMedia":false}"> The Ukrainian attack on the Kerch bridge The assault got here as Ukraine confirmed it had been invited to the Nato summit later this month, after President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned it could be a “victory” for Russia if it was not current.

The newest strike on the 12-mile-long Kerch bridge – a status venture of the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, which he opened in 2018 – comes amid what look like decided efforts by Ukraine to alter the narrative promoted by the Trump administration that Kyiv holds few playing cards within the conflict.

The mining of the bridge, which is closely defended by Russian forces, follows the audacious long-range drone assault on airbases deep in facet Russia, which Zelenskyy claimed had broken “34% of [Russia’s] strategic cruise missile carriers”.

In an extra improvement on Tuesday Russia’s state investigative committee accused Ukraine on Tuesday of finishing up “acts of terrorism” by blowing up two railway bridges in Russia over the weekend. It seven individuals had been killed and 113 injured, together with youngsters, when two trains crashed because of the assaults.

The SBU stated the operation towards the bridge had been deliberate for a number of months and concerned the equal of greater than a metric tonne of TNT, which it stated had “severely broken” the bottom of the bridge helps.

It's the third time that Ukraine has focused the important thing logistics route since Moscow’s full-scale invasion in 2022.

In October 2022, a truck exploded on the bridge, whereas in July 2023, the SBU stated it had blown up part of the bridge utilizing an experimental naval drone. Each occasions, Russia repaired the broken sections.

Lt Gen Vasyl Maliuk of the SBU, who supervised the newest operation, described the bridge as “a completely official goal, particularly contemplating that the enemy used it as a logistical artery to provide its troops”.

He added: “Crimea is Ukraine, and any manifestations of occupation will obtain our robust response.”

The SBU published footage displaying a blast popping out of the water and particles flying, together with a photograph of some injury to the facet of the bridge.

Highway visitors on the bridge linking Russia and the Crimean peninsula had been quickly suspended, Russian authorities stated on Telegram on Tuesday. Russian state media reported it had been closed to visitors for about 4 hours.

The assault on the bridge got here as Russia stated on Tuesday stated it was flawed to anticipate a fast breakthrough in Ukraine talks, a day after Moscow rejected Kyiv’s name for an unconditional ceasefire at negotiations in Istanbul – greater than three years right into a Russian offensive that has killed tens of 1000's on either side and compelled hundreds of thousands from their houses in japanese Ukraine. Russia as a substitute supplied a partial truce of two to a few days in some areas of the frontline, its high negotiator stated after the talks.

“The settlement challenge is extraordinarily advanced and includes numerous nuances,” the Kremlin’s spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov, informed reporters on Tuesday. “It could be flawed to anticipate speedy options and breakthroughs.”

The edges as a substitute agreed on a large-scale swap of captured soldiers and exchanged their roadmaps to peace, or so-called “memorandums”, on the discussions, which lasted for just below two hours on Monday.

In keeping with the doc handed to the Ukrainians that was revealed by Russian state media, Moscow is demanding Ukraine pull its troops out of 4 japanese and southern areas that Moscow claims to have annexed as a precondition to pausing its offensive.

Peskov was talking as Andriy Yermak, Zelenskyy’s chief of workers, arrived within the US together with the deputy prime minister Yulia Svrydenko to press for more durable sanctions on Russia.

“We plan to speak about defence help and the scenario on the battlefield, strengthening sanctions towards Russia,” Yermak stated on Telegram.

Peskov additionally dismissed the concept of a summit between the presidents of Russia, Ukraine and the US.

“Within the close to future, it's unlikely,” he informed reporters, including that such a summit may occur solely after Russian and Ukrainian negotiators reached an “settlement”.

The White Home had stated on Monday that the US president, Donald Trump, was “open” to the concept, which can be backed by Zelenskyy and by Turkey’s president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

Zelenskyy’s attendance on the Nato summit in The Hague from 24 to 26 June was welcomed by the Ukrainian president after reported misgivings over the potential for the renewal of friction between Zelenskyy and Trump administration officers.

“We had been invited to the Nato summit. I feel that is necessary,” Zelenskyy stated on Monday after he held a gathering with Nato’s secretary normal, Mark Rutte, in Vilnius.