Ukraine strikes again on vital Russia-Crimea bridge

Ukraine launched a new attack early on Monday targeting the strategically important Kerch Bridge linking Russia and the occupied Crimean peninsula.

The Ukrainian navy and SBU security service deployed two armed maritime drones to carry out the attack, which killed a Russian couple in their car and injured their daughter.

The vital road link on the bridge is likely to remain closed until November, causing chaos for thousands of Russians on holiday in the peninsula. Commercial flights to Crimea have been suspended since the Russian invasion in February 2022, and most tourists usually drive there over the bridge.

There were traffic jams on Monday as returning visitors tried to drive home through Russian-controlled southern Ukraine, territory that Kyiv is fighting to take back.

The Russian-appointed governor of Ukraine’s Kherson region, Vladimir Saldo, said air defense and other security measures would be stepped up on the overland corridor to Crimea. But it remains to be seen whether this will reassure the tourists who the state has been trying to attract to the Black Sea peninsula, which Russia seized and annexed from Ukraine in 2014.

At a time when Russians’ options to holiday elsewhere are limited by visa bans and flight restrictions, the attack deals a blow to Moscow’s idea that a peninsula famed for its rugged landscape, scenic bays and warm weather can be enjoyed safely.

The Kerch Bridge had already been partially destroyed in a Ukrainian truck bomb attack in October 2022.Russian President Vladimir Putin said there would be retaliation for the latest attack.

“Of course, there will be a response from Russia,” he said. “The defense ministry is preparing relevant proposals. I am waiting for specific proposals to improve the security of this strategic, important transport facility.”