The SBU said the pre-dawn blast at 4:44 a.m. local time shattered underwater supports of the 19-kilometer span, which Moscow opened in 2018 to cement its 2014 annexation of Crimea.
“Agents mined the pillars of this illegal facility over several months,” the SBU said, adding that the 1,100 kg charge was set off without civilian casualties.
SBU chief Vasyl Maliuk, who oversaw the operation, said it was the third strike on the bridge after truck- and sea-drone attacks in 2022 and 2023.
There is no place for illegal Russian structures on Ukrainian territory," he said.
Russian-installed officials said traffic was halted for about three hours before resuming, and claimed air defense units had shot down a drone near the bridge. They did not immediately acknowledge damage to the pillars, the Reuters news agency reported.
The bridge is a vital supply route for Russian forces in southern Ukraine and a personal prestige project for President Vladimir Putin. Its partial shutdown in earlier attacks forced Moscow to divert military shipments through occupied land corridors.
Built between 2016 and 2019, the structure carries both road and rail traffic. Ukraine insists the bridge is a legitimate military target because it is used to transport troops and equipment.
(jh/gs)
Source: Reuters, PAP, Kyiv Post, Pravda, RBC-Ukraine