Sneh Tiku, Pune
Two individuals have lost their lives following an “emergency” on the bridge connecting the
occupied Crimean peninsula to Russia, according to Russian officials. Although the incident has
not been officially classified as an attack, unverified reports suggest that explosions were heard
early on Monday.
The Kerch Bridge, which opened in 2018, serves as a vital transportation
route for both road and rail travel between Russia and Crimea. The Crimean territory has been
under Russian control since Moscow’s forces seized it in 2014.
Sergey Aksyonov, the head of the Russian administration in Crimea, communicated on
Telegram, stating, “Traffic was stopped on the Crimean bridge. An emergency occurred in the
area of the 145th support from the [Russian side of the bridge]. Measures are being taken to
restore the situation.”
Aksyonov urged residents and visitors to avoid traveling across the
Crimean bridge for security reasons and suggested alternative land routes through new regions.
Vyacheslav Gladkov, governor of the Russian region of Belgorod, later revealed on Telegram
that two individuals, identified as the parents of a young girl, had died in the incident, which he
also referred to as an “emergency.”
The Russian transport ministry confirmed that the explosion did not cause damage to the bridge supports but affected only the road surface. Reports indicate that the ferry crossing parallel to the bridge has been closed, and train traffic may also be impacted, according to the local rail operator.
The cause of the explosion that occurred last October remains uncertain. Videos from that time
captured a massive fireball as several vehicles crossed the bridge. Ukrainian officials had
previously suggested that the bridge might be targeted, but Kyiv did not claim responsibility
following the incident. Oleksiy Danilov, head of Ukraine’s National Security and Defence
Council, posted a video of the bridge engulfed in flames along with a clip of Marilyn Monroe
singing “Happy Birthday, Mr President,” coinciding with Russian President Vladimir Putin’s 70th
birthday.
This latest incident coincides with a highly anticipated counteroffensive by Ukrainian forces
aiming to reclaim territories in southern and eastern Ukraine. It also aligns with the expiration of
a deal brokered by the UN last year, allowing grain exports from Ukrainian ports. As Ukraine
and Russia are major grain exporters, concerns of a global food shortage arose due to the war,
but Russia has thus far refused to agree to an extension of the deal.