(Kyiv) – Ukraine’s Security Service (SSU) has confirmed that it carried out a third successful attack on the Crimean Bridge, this time using an underwater detonation in what officials described as a “new unique special operation.” The bridge, which connects occupied Crimea to mainland Russia, has been a vital supply line for Russian military operations and a personal prestige project for the Russian dictator.
The SSU announced that the operation had been in planning for several months and involved the precise placement of explosives beneath the bridge’s underwater supports. At 4:44 am local time, the first device containing 1100 kilograms of explosives, equivalent to 1.1 tonnes of TNT, was triggered. According to Ukrainian intelligence officials, the supports at the seabed level were severely damaged, placing the structure in what they termed an “emergency state.”
No civilian casualties were reported during the operation, which was personally overseen by the head of the SSU, Lieutenant General Vasyl Malyuk. He stated that Ukraine considers the bridge a “completely legitimate target” given its ongoing use by Russian forces to transport troops and equipment into occupied Ukrainian territory.
“The SSU never repeats itself,” Malyuk said. “We hit the bridge in 2022 and again in 2023. This time we came from beneath. There is no place for illegal Russian structures on Ukrainian soil. Crimea is Ukraine, and this is our answer to occupation.”
Russian media and Kremlin-aligned Telegram channels have confirmed a new incident at the bridge, though details remain vague. The ASTRA Telegram channel claimed that Russian naval and coast guard forces intercepted a maritime drone, but no concrete proof has been shown. Russian officials have yet to issue a formal response.
The bridge, which the Russian dictator personally opened in 2018, cost approximately 3 billion US dollars (around £2.35 billion). It has been a regular target since the beginning of Russia’s full scale invasion, symbolising both the logistical lifeline and the overreach of Moscow’s claims over Ukrainian land.
This latest attack comes shortly after another major SSU operation, codenamed “Spiderweb,” which targeted four Russian airfields. According to Ukrainian sources, that operation destroyed a significant portion of Russia’s long-range bomber fleet, with losses estimated at up to 41 aircraft and financial damage totalling around 7 billion US dollars (approximately £5.5 billion).
