Ukrainian special forces launch massive attack on Kerch Bridge in Crimea

The Kerch Bridge has come under attack again. (Image: SBU Ukraine)

Ukraine's SBU has claimed to have hit the Kerch Bridge in Crimea with underwater explosives in the latest attack on the key transport link between the peninsula and Russia. The SBU said the operation took months to plan and used 1,100kg of explosives which damaged the structure. Local media reported the bridge was closed earlier on June 3.

Head of the SBU, Lieutenant General Vasyl Malyuk, said: "Previously, we struck the Crimean Bridge twice in 2022 and 2023. So today we continued this tradition underwater. There is no place for any illegal Russian facilities on the territory of our state. Therefore, the Crimean Bridge is an absolutely legitimate target, especially considering that the enemy used it as a logistical artery to supply its troops. Crimea is Ukraine, and any manifestations of occupation will receive our tough response."

Kerch Bridge: Plumes of smoke rise from bridge

The attack is the third on the structure since 2022.

Mr Malyuk, who personally oversaw the operation, said: "No illegal Russian facilities have a place on the territory of our state."

The Kerch Bridge, also known as the Crimean Bridge, which opened in 2018, links mainland Russia to the illegally annexed Crimean Peninsula.

It has been a key logistical route for Russian military supplies throughout the war in Ukraine.

The SBU said the bridge was damaged in the attack. (Image: SBU Ukraine )

The attack comes days after the Ukrainian drone assault on Russia’s strategic bomber fleet, codenamed "Spiderweb," described by President Volodymyr Zelensky as one for the "history books".

The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) said 117 drones were launched in Sunday’s operation, targeting four airfields and leaving more than 40 Russian warplanes destroyed or severely damaged.

The SBU said: "The operation lasted more than 18 months and involved smuggling FPV drones inside wooden crates into Russian territory before launching them near the airfields."

The total estimated cost of the damage was $7billion (£5.2billion), and the strikes reached as far as Belaya air base in Irkutsk – over 4,000km from Ukraine.

The SBU said: "Strategic aircraft including Tu-95s and Tu-22Ms were targeted, along with A-50s used to co-ordinate missile strikes."

Russia's Defence Ministry confirmed the attacks but gave few details, saying only that aircraft were damaged and fires had broken out at several bases.

The strikes came on the eve of peace talks in Istanbul, and just hours after Russia unleashed a record 472 drones against Ukrainian cities.

Lt Gen Malyuk said of the operation: "We will respond to Russian terror and destroy the enemy everywhere — at sea, in the air, and on land. And if necessary, we’ll get them from underground too."