Russia Halts Transit Through Crimea Peninsula... "Emergency Situation Occurred"

Ukrainian Media "Loud Explosion Heard at Crimean Bridge"

On the 17th (local time), the passage on the Crimean Bridge, which connects the Crimean Peninsula forcibly annexed by Russia in 2014 and the Russian mainland, was urgently suspended, Russian news agency TASS reported.

According to the report, Sergey Aksyonov, head of the Republic of Crimea, posted on Telegram that day, "The passage on the Crimean Bridge has been suspended," adding, "An emergency situation occurred at the 145th support pier area from Krasnodar. Judicial authorities and all relevant agencies have taken action."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Aksyonov added that he spoke with Vitaly Saveliev, Russian Minister of Transport, and took measures to restore the situation, but did not specify what exactly happened.

However, the Crimean Republic authorities advised local residents and tourists to use alternative routes instead of the Crimean Bridge in light of the incident and stated that they would provide all necessary support related to this.

Ukrainian news agency RBC-Ukraine reported hearing loud explosions near the Crimean Bridge. Another foreign media outlet reported that a Telegram channel affiliated with the Wagner mercenary group, the Russian Grey Zone channel, posted that there were two attacks on the Crimean Bridge.

The Crimean Bridge, the only direct route connecting the Crimean Peninsula and the Russian mainland, has served as a key supply route for Russian forces since Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24 last year. The bridge experienced a large-scale explosion in October last year, temporarily halting passage, but the vehicle bridge was restored in February this year, just before the first anniversary of the invasion.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.