2023-05-24 15:18:42
Videos circulating on social media show a thick plume of smoke over the bridge. According to the governor in Crimea, there was no new attack.
The Kerch Bridge, which connects the Crimean Peninsula to mainland Russia.Alexander Nemenov/AP
According to the authorities, the bridge from the Russian mainland to the Crimean Peninsula, annexed by Moscow in 2014, has been closed to car traffic due to military exercises. “The Crimean bridge is closed because of the maneuvers carried out in the area,” Moscow’s governor in Crimea Sergey Aksyonov said on his Telegram channel on Wednesday. Images of heavy clouds of smoke in the area of the bridge had previously fueled speculation about another attack on the object. The Crimean Bridge was badly damaged in an explosives attack last fall.
Because of the attack rumors circulating, Aksjonov called for “only trusting verified sources of information”. As early as midday, the regional road construction authority reported on the reopening of vehicle traffic.
What the Kerch bridge is doing?
Traffic on the Crimean bridge is closed, according to the statement of the head of the Crimea, Sergei Aksenov, in connection with the exercises.
A column of smoke near the bridge allegedly also rises as part of the exercise. pic.twitter.com/6feiRwIV95— Daniel Arfire (@turnofftheglory) May 24, 2023
“The Crimean Bridge is closed due to exercises in the area. Traffic will be restored in a few hours,” Sergey Aksyonov, the representative of the Russian occupying power on the Ukrainian peninsula, previously announced via Telegram. “I urge everyone to trust only trusted sources of information.”
The portal Kerch.FM reported previously that the inhabitants of the peninsula were frightened by a column of smoke rising over the Crimean bridge. According to the radio station, she was visible from different parts of the city. Traffic on the Crimean Bridge resumed at 11 a.m. Moscow time.
The so-called Kerch Bridge was built after Russia annexed Crimea and was completed in 2018. Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin personally inaugurated it. An explosion on the bridge in October 2022 killed at least three people and caused major 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 supply the soldiers fighting in Ukraine with military equipment and also has a high symbolic value for Moscow.
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