Two killed in Ukrainian attack on key Crimean bridge, Russia says
Mike Brest
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A fatal Ukrainian strike on early Monday morning hit the key bridge connecting Russia to Crimea, which Russia annexed almost a decade ago.
The governor of Russia’s Belgorod region, Vyacheslav Gladkov, said there were two fatalities — a set of parents — while their daughter was injured in the incident. They had been traveling in a car at the time of the strike.
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“There is damage to the roadway on spans of the Crimean bridge,” Russia’s Ministry of Transport said on Telegram. Images showed a portion of the roadway on the bridge had collapsed.
Two Ukrainian maritime drones carried out the strike, Russia’s National Anti-Terrorist Committee said, while CNN reported, citing a source within the Ukrainian Security Service, that it was a joint operation with Ukraine’s navy.
President Vladimir Putin was briefed on the incident, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters Monday, while Deputy Prime Minister Marat Khusnullin will travel to Crimea to assess the situation.
“We know the reasons and those behind this terrorist act,” Peskov said. “This will require further composure and additional measures and work from all of us. No other measures have been discussed at the moment.”
Ukraine claimed responsibility for the attack, according to CNN, citing a security official. Ukrainian officials didn’t initially accept responsibility for October’s bridge attack, but Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar admitted weeks ago that they struck it to derail Russian logistics.
Dmitry Medvedev, the deputy chairman of Russia’s Security Council, called for the homes of the people responsible for the attack, whom he described as “terrorists,” to be “blown up” in response to the attack.
“Only targeted and quite inhumane steps [should be taken],” Medvedev wrote on his Telegram channel.
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The bridge was also targeted in early October of last year due to the significance it holds for Russia’s ability to get resources and manpower to Ukraine as rapidly as possible.
Monday’s attack occurred hours before Russia announced that it was stopping participation in the agreement brokered by the United Nations and Turkey that allows the export of Ukrainian grain during the war. Throughout the conflict, the two sides have worked to allow Ukrainian exports to depart with the looming threat of dire consequences across the globe.