Traffic has been stopped on the Russian-built Crimean Bridge due to “an emergency” situation, Russian-installed officials say, while Ukrainian media are reporting blasts on the bridge.
Key points:
- Road and rail traffic have been diverted due to an emergency situation on the Crimean Bridge
- The bridge is the only direct transport route between the Crimean peninsula and the Russian mainland
- It was previously damaged by a Ukrainian attack in October last year involving a truck full of explosives
Sergei Aksyonov, Crimea’s Russian-installed governor, said the emergency occurred on the 145th pillar of the bridge, which links the Crimean peninsula to the Russian region of Krasnodar and is also known as the Kerch Bridge.
The RBC-Ukraine news agency reported that explosions were heard on the bridge.
Crimea was annexed by Russia from Ukraine in 2014, but is internationally recognised as part of Ukraine.
Russia’s Grey Zone channel, a heavily followed Telegram channel affiliated with the Wagner mercenary group, reported that there were two strikes on the bridge at 3:04am and 3:20am local time (10:04am and 10:20am AEST).
Reuters was not able to independently verify the reports. There was no immediate comment from Ukraine.
It was not immediately clear what the incident on the bridge would mean for the UN-brokered deal that allows the safe Black Sea export of Ukrainian grain.
The deal is due to expire today, and was still in limbo as of Sunday night.
The 19-kilometre road and rail bridge was damaged by an explosion last October, in an attack that the Kremlin said had been orchestrated by Ukrainian security forces.
Ukraine admitted only indirectly to the attack months later.
Both Mr Aksyonov and the governor of the Krasnodar region, Veniamin Kondratyev, said they had set up operational headquarters in their regions to address the emergency situation on the bridge.
The Russian-backed administration of the peninsula said Crimea was provided with all necessary stock, but urged residents not to travel via the bridge.
Russia’s state news agency TASS said rail traffic would be diverted due to the incident.
Serhiy Bratchuk, spokesperson for Ukraine’s Odesa military administration, posted a photo on his Telegram of what seemed to be a bridge in distance, broken in the middle.
It was not immediately clear whether the post was related to the attack.
Reuters
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