In a calculated act of strategic sabotage, Ukraine&rsquo;s Security Service (SBU) claims to have carried out a successful underwater demolition targeting the Crimea Bridge &mdash; the vital link between Russia and its illegally annexed Crimean peninsula. The operation, reportedly months in the making, marks the third major Ukrainian attack on the structure since 2022, showcasing Kyiv&rsquo;s evolving asymmetric warfare capabilities in a conflict that remains intensely kinetic along both land and sea domains.
According to the SBU, approximately 1,100 kilograms of explosives were deployed beneath the Kerch Strait roadway and railway bridge, with the blast aimed at damaging key underwater support pillars. The agency released footage it asserts captures the moment of detonation. While Russian military bloggers have sought to downplay the damage, suggesting the attack may have been thwarted or conducted by a sea drone, authorities in Crimea suspended traffic on the bridge for several hours early Tuesday morning &mdash; a telling indicator of the strike&rsquo;s immediate tactical disruption.
The 19-kilometre dual-purpose span, inaugurated by President Vladimir Putin in 2018, is both a symbol of Moscow's grip over Crimea and a logistical artery critical to sustaining Russian operations in southern Ukraine. Russian troops utilised the bridge during the initial invasion in February 2022 to move forces into Kherson and Zaporizhia &mdash; areas still fiercely contested on the battlefield.
This latest attack not only undercuts the Kremlin&rsquo;s military supply lines but also reflects Ukraine&rsquo;s strategy of targeting high-value infrastructure to offset Moscow&rsquo;s superior firepower and manpower. The fact that Kyiv has now struck the bridge three times reinforces its status as a psychological and operational pressure point in the broader war.
Concurrently, Russia launched a deadly strike on the Ukrainian city of Sumy. Local officials report at least three civilians killed and dozens injured. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy highlighted that one of the rockets had failed to explode and remains embedded in a residential building &mdash; emblematic, he suggested, of Russia&rsquo;s indiscriminate targeting of civilians and disinterest in peace.
Meanwhile, diplomatic efforts in Istanbul flounder. Russia reportedly demanded sweeping territorial concessions and strict limits on Ukraine&rsquo;s armed forces &mdash; terms that Kyiv has flatly rejected, branding them as de facto capitulation.
As the war grinds through its third year, this latest exchange underscores the enduring volatility of the conflict and the central role strategic infrastructure will continue to play &mdash; both as a means of sustaining military campaigns and as a battlefield in its own right.

Crimea Bridge in Crimean peninsula (image source: social media)

Kyiv hits Kerch Strait bridge for third time, targeting Russia’s key military lifeline

Ukraine Strikes Crimean Bridge in Underwater Attack

Kyiv hits Kerch Strait bridge for third time, targeting Russia’s key military lifeline

June 4, 2025 | 12:32 IST