Videos circulating on social media show thick smoke billowing over the bridge. According to the governor of Crimea, there are no new attacks.
The Kerch Bridge connects the Crimean Peninsula to mainland Russia.Alexander Nemenov/AP
According to officials, the bridge from the Russian mainland to the Crimean peninsula, annexed by Moscow in 2014, was closed to car traffic due to military exercises. “The Crimean bridge was closed due to maneuvers in the area,” Sergei Aksyonov, the governor of Moscow in Crimea, said on his Telegram channel on Wednesday. Images of heavy smoke clouds in the area of the bridge had earlier fueled speculation of another attack on the facility. The Crimean Bridge was badly damaged in a bomb attack last year.
As rumors of the attack spread, Akjonov called for “relying only on verified sources of information.” From noon, the Regional Road Construction Authority reopened vehicular traffic.
What does the Kerch Bridge do?
According to the statement of the President of Crimea, Sergey Aksenov, in connection with the exercises, the traffic of the Crimean bridge is closed.
Smoke is said to be rising near the bridge as part of the exercise. pic.twitter.com/6feiRwIV95— Daniel Orfire (@turnofftheglory) May 24, 2023
“The Crimean bridge is closed due to exercises in the area. Traffic will be normalized in a few hours,” Sergei Aksyonov, the representative of the Russian occupation authority on the Ukrainian peninsula, announced earlier by Telegram. “I urge everyone to trust only reliable sources of information.”
Portal Kerch.FM reported Earlier, residents of the peninsula were alarmed by smoke over the Crimean bridge. According to the radio station, she was spotted from different parts of the city. Traffic on the Crimean bridge resumed at 11 a.m. Moscow time.
Known as the Kerch Bridge, the bridge connects Russia to Crimea and was completed in 2018. It was personally opened by Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin. An explosion on the bridge in October 2022 killed at least three people and caused extensive damage.
Moscow blamed Kiev for the truck attack. Ukraine denied this. The bridge over the Kerch Strait is an important supply route for Russia to deliver military equipment to its fighters in Ukraine and has high symbolic value for Moscow.
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