ahead of schedule
The Crimean Bridge was fully restored 18 days ahead of the planned timeline, according to Russian Deputy Prime Minister Marat Khusnullin who shared the update on his Telegram channel.
He noted that traffic has resumed across all four lanes of the highway. The repair effort spanned three months, during which two damaged spans were removed and replaced with new structures.
Khusnullin stated that the bridge was restored 18 days early and vehicular traffic is now open in all four lanes, adding that the achievement was possible thanks to the dedicated teamwork of everyone involved in this unique project.
July attack
The bridge sustained damage after it was struck by two Ukrainian drones on July 17. The blast damaged the roadway openings that connect Crimea, and one span of the bridge nearly collapsed, though the railway section and the bridge piers remained intact.
As a result of the sabotage, two individuals from Belgorod region died while traveling across the bridge, and a child was hospitalized with a closed head injury before later being discharged. The Investigative Committee of Russia opened a case of terrorism in connection with the incident.
Russian President Vladimir Putin commented on the assault, describing it as meaningless from a military perspective and noting that the route had not been used for military transport for some time.
How was it restored?
Khusnullin soon explained that the portion of the structure destroyed by the explosion could not be rebuilt immediately in its original form.
In the immediate aftermath of the attack, traffic across the bridge was briefly directed in reverse. By late July, the government set a goal to complete full restoration by December 31, 2023, with individual sections reopening on staggered dates as repairs progressed.
On September 14, the left side of the bridge opened to vehicle traffic, one day ahead of the plan. The right side was projected to be restored by November 1, but its repair was completed earlier than expected. Passenger vehicles returned to this highway on October 14.
The restoration effort was carried out by the Nizhneangarsktransstroy company.
guilty of destruction
The Ukrainian authorities did not officially confirm their involvement in the July explosion, but indicated clearly who they believed was responsible. A week after the incident, the head of Ukraine’s Defense Ministry suggested the Ukrainian army would continue targeting Crimea and the Crimean Bridge, describing the peninsula and the bridge as Kyiv’s official targets.
President Zelensky echoed the sentiment, calling the Crimean Bridge a target for the Ukrainian Armed Forces that should be neutralized. This is not the first time the bridge has faced such attacks; a previous strike occurred on October 8, 2022, damaging a portion of a car and resulting in fatalities. Investigators opened a terrorism case and identified multiple accomplices connected to the planning of the attack. Ukrainian authorities later acknowledged involvement by the country’s security services in the October 2022 bombing.