On Monday, the Kerch Bridge was targeted using unmanned marine vehicles, which led to a halt in movement, according to the Russian Anti-Terrorism Committee, which accused Ukraine of being behind the attack.
The committee stated, in a statement, that Ukrainian “special services” were responsible for the attack, adding that it had opened a criminal investigation, according to Reuters.
The video clip, which Gerashchenko posted on his official Twitter account, showed collapses in one of the bridge tracks.
Other clips were also broadcasted on social media platforms, showing the extent of the damage to one side of the Kerch Bridge.
Gerashchenko commented on the clip, saying, quoting Russian media close to the Kremlin, that repairs to the bridge will take about a month.
He continued, “In the meantime, cars will be transported by ferry, while trucks will pass through a detour.”
Two Ukrainian naval marches
The Crimean Bridge, which is a major supply line for Russian forces in Ukraine, was attacked on Sunday night, using “naval drones,” according to Agence France-Presse.
A source in the Ukrainian Security Services (SBU) stated that intelligence and the Navy were behind the targeting of the bridge crossing the Kerch Strait, and it was carried out by “naval marches”.
According to the statement of the Anti-Terrorism Committee in Russia: “Two civilians, a man and a woman, were killed in a tourist car on the bridge” as a result of the attack, and that the investigation revealed the involvement of elements of the intelligence services and armed formations in the preparation and implementation of this crime, announcing the opening of an investigation for the commission of a “terrorist act.”
She added, “The terrorist attack was carried out by two Ukrainian naval marches, and damaged the roadway on the bridge.”
Crimean President Sergei Aksyonov announced that traffic on the bridge had stopped because of the bombing, while Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova blamed the “Kiev regime”.
Russia Today quoted the Ukrainian news agency RBC-Ukraine as saying that a Ukrainian security source said that the attack on the Crimean Bridge was a special operation carried out by the Ukrainian Navy in cooperation with the Ukrainian Security Service, during which water drones were used.
The railway was not damaged
For its part, the Washington Post said that Ukrainian officials confirmed that Kiev attacked the Crimean Bridge, killing two people and disrupting vehicle traffic, but the railway over the bridge, a vital artery for Russian military forces and supplies, was not damaged and resumed service quickly.
• The attack on the bridge took place hours before the Kremlin announced that Russia would withdraw from its participation in the agreement to export grain through the Black Sea, which allows the flow of grain from Ukraine to countries in Africa, the Middle East and Asia.
• The Navy and Special Forces in Kiev carried out the night attack via unmanned boats, targeting part of the bridge structure.
• It quoted a Ukrainian official, without revealing his identity, as saying that Ukraine has the right to target the crossing because Russia uses it to transport military supplies.
• It was difficult to reach the bridge, but in the end the operation was carried out.
• The attack is the second strike on the bridge, where a huge explosion last October damaged roads and railways and prompted Russia to respond with a barrage of missile strikes on Ukrainian cities.
What is the quality of the attacking cycles?
US military expert Samuel Bendt told Sky News Arabia that the strike raises questions about Russia’s defense capabilities after some of the booby-trapped boats managed to reach their targets.
Speaking of the strikes, the researcher says that more examination is needed regarding the possibility and method of their implementation, adding that Russia is keenly aware of the threat that such combat bomb boats may pose.
• “The strike showed that Ukraine has the ability to expand the war beyond the traditional arena.”
• “These attacks were carried out with good intelligence information support using all means of reconnaissance, surveillance and tracking provided by commercial and military satellites, in addition to NATO naval aircraft in Romanian airspace.”
• “The operations were carried out with booby-trapped marches and boats.”
• “It suggests that Ukraine is focusing on strategic military objectives.”
• The booby-trapped boats were part of the US military aid package announced by the Pentagon in April before last to support Ukraine.
• A Marine Drone is an unmanned surface vessel that can be used for a variety of purposes in coastal defense or carrying out operations at depth.
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