Workers restore damaged parts of the Kerch Bridge, which connects Crimea to Russia and was hit by an explosion on October 8, 2022.
Stringers | Afp | Getty Images
The Russian-installed leader of Crimea’s parliament has blamed Ukraine for a “terrorist attack” on the Crimean bridge that paralyzed traffic and reportedly killed two people.
“Tonight the terrorist regime in Kiev committed a new crime – it attacked the Crimean bridge,” Crimean Parliament Speaker Vladimir Konstantinov said on his Telegram channel.
The bridge, a 12-mile road-rail junction, is a vital transportation and supply route for Russian forces in Ukraine.
“In retaliation, we will be following the news. Our Secretary of Defense has promised attacks against criminal decision-making centers,” he threatened.
Russian channel Gray Zone, a Telegram channel with ties to the Wagner mercenary group, also posted: “Ukrainian forces carried out two attacks on the Crimean bridge,” according to Google translations.
The incidents reportedly happened at 3:04 a.m. and 3:20 a.m. local time. CNBC has not been able to independently verify the reports.
According to the Ministry of Transport of the Russian Federation, the bridge itself was not damaged. The incident happened at a part leading to the bridge.
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The Kerch Bridge opened in 2018 and connects occupied Crimea to Russia.
“Traffic was stopped on the Crimean bridge: an emergency occurred in the area of the 145th support of the Krasnodar region,” Sergey Aksyonov, head of the Russian administration in Crimea, said in a separate Telegram message.
Aksyonov added that measures are being taken to restore the situation.
A girl was injured while her parents died in the incident, Belgorod governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said in a separate statement on his own Telegram channel.
Ukraine’s Defense Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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