Crimea Bridge closed

RUSSIA / FSU POLITICS - In Brief 17 Jul 2023 by Alex Teddy
On July 17 Russian authorities said there was an emergency on Kerch Strait Bridge and two people had died. There are reports that there was an explosion. Russia has not said there was an attack. Russia said the road surface has been damaged. Ukraine has not commented on the bridge incident. Ukraine is trying to retake southern Ukraine and break the land corridor between Russia and Russian-held regions such as Kherson. If Ukraine does this then the Kerch Strait Bridge would be even more vital for the Russian Army. If this bridge is also severed, then Russian forces in southern Ukraine would be very hard to resupply, reinforce or evacuate.  Russia completed the bridge in 2018. Putin drove the first truck across it. There is also a rail line over it. The bridge connects Crimea to the Russian mainland. In October 2022 an attack partly closed the bridge for four months. It is an arterial route for the Russian military in Crimea. The Black Sea Grain Initiative is due to expire on July 17. Russia has not agreed to its extension. If Ukraine has attacked the bridge this makes it more likely that the deal will lapse.

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