Explosions occurred on the Crimean bridge, there is destruction and deaths (photos, video)
Traffic is blocked, people are panicking
On the morning of July 17, the governor of the temporarily occupied Crimea, Sergey Aksyonov, announced an “emergency” on the Crimean bridge, which caused traffic to be stopped. It turned out that after the nighttime explosions there were several large roadway failures and casualties.
The traitor wrote on social media that “an emergency happened in the area of the 145th pillar from the Krasnodar Territory”, while eyewitnesses reported a loud “pop” and thick smoke in the area of the crossing. According to media reports, it was a special operation by the SBU and the Ukrainian Navy – the facility was attacked by surface drones.
“Law enforcement agencies and all responsible services are working. Measures are being taken to restore the situation,” Aksyonov said, speaking of “no panic”.
According to the monitoring channels, the explosions occurred at 03:04 and 03:20 on one of the bridge sections, causing damage, the extent of which the occupiers were specifying. At the same time, an air raid alert was allegedly declared in Kerch.
A video from local social media shows the bridge spans parting, creating a chasm. At the same time, residents of a remote neighborhood took a photo showing the lack of lighting on part of the crossing. Later, footage of smoke rising over the bridge also appeared.
The Russian propaganda channel Baza reported that two people were killed and one injured as a result of the bridge span collapse: the car was twisted, and a passenger in the front seat hit her head on the windshield. At first, the victims were called “tourists,” and then it was stated that they were the family of an official from Belgorod region: 36-year-old Natalia K. and her husband, their 14-year-old daughter Angelina were hospitalized.
“There was a family from the Belgorod region in the car that was damaged by the explosion. The 14-year-old girl was taken to a hospital in Krasnodar Krai. The schoolgirl was diagnosed with a combined body injury, as well as a broken nose and a concussion. Her parents died after the incident on the Crimean Bridge,” Russian publics wrote, adding that one of the victims was an official from Belgorod region, 36-year-old Natalia K.
The propagandists wrote that eyewitnesses actually heard the sounds of explosions. They also claimed that after the attack, thick smoke was visible in the area of one of the bridge pillars.
Local chat rooms complained that there was no traffic across the bridge, cars were turning back.
It is reported that the ferry service between the temporarily occupied Crimea and the Krasnodar Territory of the Russian Federation has also been suspended. Currently, the only available route for Russians from Russia to the peninsula is through the occupied districts of Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions.
The Russian Ministry of Transport denied the information about the damage to the Crimean bridge supports. They confirmed only the damage to the roadway on the spans from the Crimea.
Local publics stated that the span of the Crimean bridge towards Taman was destroyed, and another span towards Kerch had sagged.
“According to preliminary information, at about three o’clock, an explosion sounded and the lights went out. A few minutes later, traffic was blocked on the bridge. At 03:20, another explosion occurred near the railway bridge. The level of damage is being assessed, and if the situation allows, traffic on one of the lanes will be restored today,” the propagandists expressed hope.
Petro Andriushchenko, an advisor to the mayor of Mariupol, emphasized that at least two large roadway dips have occurred since the incident on the Crimean Bridge.
“It is now illegal for Russian tourists to enter Crimea only through Mariupol. That’s almost a thousand kilometers plus. The military’s logistical arm is simply over. Somewhere out there, the bridge in Chongar is sad,” he ironically emphasized.
Against the backdrop of the so-called Crimean Bridge incident, George Barros, an analyst at the Institute for the Study of War, clearly demonstrated the importance of this crossing for Russia’s military aggression against Ukraine.
“Russia will have only one land supply line – the coastal highway on the Azov Sea – to support (or evacuate) tens of thousands of its troops in occupied Kherson and Crimea,” he said.
The attack on the Crimean Bridge on the night of July 17 was a special operation by the Security Service of Ukraine and the Ukrainian Navy. The crossing was hit with the help of surface drones: it was difficult to get to the bridge, but the operation was realized by joint efforts.
