Damage to the Crimean bridge: explosions are reported, traffic is stopped

17 July, 2023 Damage to the Crimean Bridge, July 17, 2023. Photo credits: Baza The invaders claim that on the night of July 17, an "extraordinary event" occurred on the Crimean bridge connecting Russia with the occupied peninsula.

This was reported by the so-called head of the Russian occupation administration of Crimea Sergey Aksyonov. At the moment, traffic on the bridge is stopped, and a multi-kilometer traffic jam has formed with cars from the Russian side at the entrance. It is stated that the accident took place in the area of the 145th pillar from the Krasnodar Krai.

Damage to the Crimean Bridge, July 17, 2023.

Photo credits: Baza

At the same time, residents of Kerch wrote on social networks that they had heard two explosions - at 03:04 and 03:20 a.m. local time. According to the Russian public, it is previously known about the destruction or significant damage of at least one span of the Crimean bridge, and possible damage to the other one.

Damage to the Crimean Bridge, July 17, 2023.

Photo credits: Baza

The Ministry of Transport of the Russian Federation assures that the supports of the bridge are not destroyed, and only the road surface on the spans of the bridge is allegedly damaged. The Russian invaders urged civilians to refrain from traveling across the bridge and go to Crimea through other temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine. That is, through Mariupol, Melitopol and Henichesk captured by the Russians.

Damage to the Crimean Bridge, July 17, 2023.

Photo credits: Baza

Russian propaganda media report that the ferry service between the occupied peninsula and Kuban has also been suspended. In addition, the movement of trains on the bridge was temporarily stopped. It should be noted that this is not the first time that the bridge across the Kerch Strait, which Russia built to the temporarily occupied Crimea, has been damaged.

Fire on the Crimean Bridge, October 8, 2022

On October 8, 2022, the car deck of the bridge was damaged by the explosion.

Some sections of the bridge collapsed into the sea.

A video of the moment of the explosion caught on CCTV cameras was published as well.