It’s unknown how long traffic over the bridge will be affected. There are still two lanes for auto traffic that are open and at least one rail line is available.
The Russian war effort was at least temporarily crippled when a huge explosion rocked the Kerch Strait Bridge on Saturday. The bridge is the only link connecting Crimea with Russia and is a primary supply route for Russian forces fighting in southern Ukraine.
The bridge also has great symbolic value as it’s become emblematic of Russia’s claims on Crimea. The bridge opened in 2018 to much fanfare, with Putin driving a truck across the expanse.
Two lanes of the bridge are now in the Black Sea, with unknown damage done to the rest of the bridge.
Russia’s National Anti-Terrorism Committee said in a statement that a truck exploded on the bridge, which set off secondary explosions of seven fuel cisterns being pulled by train on a parallel railroad crossing headed in the direction of Crimea.
The bridge is the principal military supply route linking Russia with the Crimean Peninsula. Without it, the Russian military will be severely limited in its ability to bring fuel, equipment and ammunition to its units fighting an increasingly intense battle for the control of southern Ukraine. Russia still controls roads on overland routes from Russia into southern Ukraine, but those are within range of Ukrainian rocket artillery.
