Russia said on Friday it stopped a nighttime Ukrainian attack on the Crimean Bridge, also known as the Kerch Bridge, which connects the annexed Crimean peninsula to the Russian mainland.
The Russian Defense Ministry said Ukrainian forces tried to attack the bridge with two unmanned boats loaded with explosives.
The first “maritime drone was detected in a timely manner and destroyed in the Black Sea” at 23:15 local time, the ministry said.
Russia said a second boat attack was thwarted three hours later in the early hours of Saturday. And a third maritime drone attack on the bridge was also halted, according to the Defense Ministry.
The third “maritime drone was destroyed in the Black Sea” at 02:20 local time, the ministry said.
Russian state media RIA Novosti reported on Friday that “the movement of vehicles on the bridge is temporarily restricted”.
Ukraine has yet to comment on the alleged attacks.
These attempts come after a Ukrainian security official claimed Ukraine responsibility for a July 17 bridge attack that left two people dead and one injured, according to Russian officials.
The nearly 20 kilometer crossing is the longest in Europe and has enormous strategic and symbolic importance for Russia. The attack on the bridge in July was the second since Russia began its invasion of Ukraine. The first was in October 2022, when a fuel tanker truck exploded while crossing the bridge.
Source: CNN Brasil
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