The Crimean crisis continued to unfold as the operational center in Crimea announced a temporary closure of the Crimean Bridge following reports of an air attack signal. The information came through a regional telegraph channel associated with the regional directorate and has since been echoed in official briefings.
According to the broadcast, the bridge was shut down for safety, and residents were urged to move away from the structure as part of precautionary measures after the air raid siren sounded. A three hour traffic bottleneck formed at the Kerch entrance to the bridge, with roughly seven hundred five vehicles caught in the delay.
On the following day, the Crimean Ministry of Transport stated that there were no traffic jams reported near the bridge checkpoints, signaling a possible easing of congestion as officials reassessed the situation.
That night, Crimean President Sergey Aksyonov spoke of an emergency at the 145th support area originating from the Krasnodar Territory in connection with the bridge incident. Early reports confirmed casualties, including two confirmed deaths and one minor injured, with imagery from the scene showing that at least one bridge opening had collapsed while another appeared to have sunk.
National authorities attributed the incident to Ukrainian special services, according to statements from the Russian National Counter-Terrorism Committee. They reported that two Ukrainian surface drones targeted the bridge area, and the regional authorities opened a criminal case under the terrorist act article.
Traffic on the Crimean Bridge remained temporarily restricted as officials addressed the emergency and assessed the structural integrity of the remaining spans.
Earlier in the year, on October 8, 2022, a separate explosion involving a truck caused a fire to spread to fuel tanks within the railway section of the bridge. The resulting damage led to the collapse of two spans and the loss of five lives. This incident prompted discussions within official circles about alternative routing options and the need to navigate around newly prioritized zones affected by the emergency on the Crimean bridge.
Public safety advisories continued to emphasize caution for travelers and the reevaluation of travel routes in light of ongoing risk assessments and security considerations surrounding the bridge and its approaches. Attribution: official authorities and security services.