An explosion recently occurred at the Crimean Bridge, but caused "no damage," Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov claimed on June 4, accusing Ukraine of attempted attacks on Russia's infrastructure.

The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) claimed responsibility for the explosion that rocked the bridge in the early hours of June 3. The agency said that more than a ton of explosives in TNT equivalent damaged the underwater supports of the structure.

"There indeed was an explosion. There was no damage, the bridge continues to function," Peskov said, according to the Russian state-run news agency RIA Novosti. "Kyiv continues in its attempts to attack infrastructure facilities."

Constructed after Russia’s illegal occupation of Crimea in 2014, the Crimean Bridge — also known as the Kerch Bridge —  is a critical supply and transport route for Russian forces to the occupied Ukrainian territories. It connects the occupied peninsula to Russia's Krasnodar Krai via the Kerch Strait.

The Russian state media reported on June 3 that a "Ukrainian intelligence agent" who had constructed a bomb on "orders from Kyiv" had been detained by Russia's FSB.

In comments later on June 3, Dmytro Pletenchuk, a spokesperson for the Ukrainian Navy, said the "key and most complex" part of the bridge had been damaged in the attack.

The operation, which follows the SBU's mass drone strike against Russia's strategic aviation on June 1, was personally supervised by the agency's chief, Vasyl Maliuk.

The bridge suffered significant damage during two previous Ukrainian attacks in October 2022 and July 2023, though neither managed to take the bridge out of commission.

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An explosion occurred at Kerch Strait Bridge this morning. Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) on 3 June confirmed it carried out an operation to damage the Kerch Bridge from below the waterline, marking the third time Ukrainian forces have struck the Russian-built structure connecting occupied Crimea with mainland Russia. 

According to the SBU, the operation targeted the underwater supports of the Crimean bridge—known by Russia as the Kerch bridge—with specially planted explosive devices. The agency reported that the attack was launched precisely at 4:44 a.m., damaging the bridge at the level of its underwater support pillars.

The explosives used amounted to 1100 kg in TNT equivalent, the SBU stated, describing the bridge as now in a critical or near-emergency condition. The SBU emphasized that the explosion caused no civilian casualties.

SBU head Vasyl Maliuk personally coordinated and supervised the planning and execution of the mission. He stated:

“God loves the Trinity (Ukrainian saying used when something occurs for the third time, – Ed.), and the SBU always finishes what it starts and never repeats itself. We struck the Crimean bridge twice before, in 2022 and 2023. Today, we continued that tradition—this time from underwater.”

Legitimate military target

Maliuk justified the strike as a response to Russia’s continued occupation of Ukrainian territory and the use of the bridge as a key supply route for Russian military operations in southern Ukraine.

“No illegal object of the Russian Federation has any place on the territory of our state,” he said. “The Crimean bridge is an entirely legal target, especially considering that the enemy used it as a logistical artery to supply its troops. Crimea is Ukraine, and any signs of occupation will be met with a tough response.”

Damage remains unverified

The full extent of the underwater damage has not yet been independently verified. However, the SBU’s statement indicates significant harm to the bridge’s structural supports at the seabed level. Russia has not yet commented on the event at the time of publication.

Editor's note: This is a developing story and is being updated.

The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) carried out the third attack against the Crimean Bridge since Russia's full-scale war began in 2022, mining and damaging its underwater supports, the SBU announced on June 3.

"God loves the Trinity, and the SBU always brings what is conceived to the end and never repeats itself," SBU Chief Vasyl Malyuk said in a statement posted on social media.

"Previously, we struck the Crimean Bridge in 2022 and 2023. So today we continued this tradition underwater," he added.

The SBU said the operation "lasted for several months," with agents mining the "supports of this illegal construction."

Constructed after Russia’s illegal occupation of Crimea in 2014, the Crimean Bridge is a critical supply and transport route for Russian forces to the occupied Ukrainian territories.

"And today, without inflicting any civilian casualties, the first explosive was activated at 4:44 a.m.," the SBU said.

Underwater supports of the bridge's piers were severely damaged at the bottom as 1,100 kilograms of explosives in TNT equivalent were detonated, according to the statement.

Russian state media later reported a "Ukrainian intelligence agent" who had constructed a bomb on "orders from Kyiv" had been detained by Russia's FSB.

In comments later on June 3, Dmytro Pletenchuk, a spokesperson for the Ukrainian Navy, said the "key and most cpmplex" part of the bridge had been damaged in the attack.

The operation, which follows the SBU's mass drone strike against Russia's strategic aviation on June 1, was personally supervised by the agency's chief, Vasyl Maliuk.

President Volodymyr Zelensky praised the SBU in his evening address, though he did not refer to the attack directly.

"And it is always nice to give special thanks to the Security Service of Ukraine, well done!" he said.

A claimed "agent of Ukrainian intelligence services" has been detained in Crimea, Russia's Federal Security Service said later on June 3, accusing the detainee of producing a "powerful explosive."  

The bridge suffered significant damage during two previous Ukrainian attacks in October 2022 and July 2023, though neither managed to take the bridge out of commission.

The construction of the bridge, also known as the Kerch Bridge, holds a significant symbolic value for Russia. The $4 billion project was a political statement designed to affirm the Kremlin's illegal 2014 annexation of Crimea, as the peninsula is not connected by land to Russia.  

Russia's Defense Ministry previously claimed that three Ukrainian drones were downed over Crimea overnight on June 3.

The Crimean Bridge was closed for traffic between 6 and 9 a.m. local time on that day, according to local Telegram channels. The Mash Telegram channel reported that a Ukrainian drone was shot down over the bridge, and its debris fell onto the road.

According to pro-Ukrainian Telegram channel Crimean Wind, the bridge had been closed down for inspection, possibly to examine damage.

Later the same day, Crimean Wind reported a new "powerful explosion" near Kerch at around 3 p.m., writing that a helicopter is patrolling the strait. Several local channels reported that a fresh drone attack against the peninsula was underway in the afternoon, and that the bridge is closed once again.

The Kyiv Independent could not verify the claims.

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At least seven people are dead and another 69 injured after a train derailed in Russia's Bryansk Oblast overnight on May 31, following the collapse of an overhead road bridge, Bryansk Oblast Governor Alexander Bogomaz said.

At least three children have been injured in the derailment, with one being treated in hospital with serious injuries. The conductor of the train has been killed in the incident, Russian-state media outlet TASS reported.

A total of 44 people were hospitalized as a result of the derailment, officials said.

Photos and videos posted on social media appears to show damage sustained to the train after an impact with the bridge. Russian Telegram channel ASTRA reported that a total of 379 people were on board the train at the time of derailment, around 10:45 p.m. local time.

Preliminary reports suggest that explosions were heard in the Vygonichsky district of Bryansk Oblast ahead of the impact, and Moscow Railways, a subsidiary of state-run Russian Railways, claimed that the bridge collapsed due to the "unlawful interference in transport operations."

No further information was provided as to the cause of the bridge collapse, and the full extent of the damage was not immediately clear.

The Kyiv Independent cannot verify claims made by Russian authorities. Kyiv has not commented on the reported derailment.

The passenger train, numbered 86, reportedly runs from the town of Klimovo in Bryansk Oblast to the Russian capital of Moscow.

Bryansk Oblast, located in Russia's far-west, borders Ukraine's Chernihiv and Sumy Oblast, and has been the target of various Ukrainian strikes.

Ukraine's intelligence agencies as well as Ukrainian partisan movements have previously been involved in sabotage attacks on Russian railways, disrupting the transport of military cargo toward the front line. There is no immediate indication either was involved in the train's derailment.

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