Russian President Vladimir Putin revealed that the Ministry of Defense is preparing several options for responding to the attack on the Crimean Peninsula bridge. He noted that the Crimean bridge "was attacked twice, so I want concrete proposals to ensure the security of the bridge." Putin described the attack as an "act of terrorism." He demanded that officials present tangible proposals to safeguard the bridge, which he stated had suffered significant damage. According to Moscow's accusations, the bridge was attacked by two Ukrainian maritime drones, resulting in damage to the bridge and civilian casualties, with one person reported killed and another injured.
The Crimean bridge is 19 kilometers long, equivalent to 12 miles, spanning the Kerch Strait. It is the only direct link between Russia's transportation network and the Crimean Peninsula, which Moscow annexed from Ukraine in 2014. The bridge was a flagship project of President Putin, who inaugurated it with much fanfare by driving a truck across it in 2018. It consists of separate road and rail lines, both supported by concrete pillars, allowing for wider spans created by steel arches where ships pass between the Black Sea and the smaller Sea of Azov.
The bridge is also significant as it supplies fuel, food, and other products to the Crimean Peninsula, with Sevastopol harbor being the historical base of the Russian Black Sea Fleet.
