The attempted strike by three unmanned naval craft forced the temporary closure of the bridge for a third time in less than a year.
Russia said Saturday its forces destroyed three Ukrainian naval drones being used in an attempt to attack a key bridge linking Russia to the Moscow-annexed Crimean Peninsula, forcing its temporary closure for a third time in less than a year.
One naval drone was destroyed late Friday and two others early Saturday morning, according to Russiaâs defence ministry. There was no immediate comment from Ukrainian officials.
The Kerch bridge, which is a key supply route for Kremlin forces in Russiaâs war with Ukraine, has come under repeated attack since Russia launched its full-scale invasion.
An explosion in October, which Russian authorities said was caused by a truck bomb, left three people dead. A further attack on the bridge in July, killing a couple and seriously wounding their daughter, left a span of the roadway hanging perilously.
One naval drone was destroyed late Friday and two others early Saturday morning, according to Russiaâs defence ministry. There was no immediate comment from Ukrainian officials.
The Kerch bridge, which is a key supply route for Kremlin forces in Russiaâs war with Ukraine, has come under repeated attack since Russia launched its full-scale invasion.
An explosion in October, which Russian authorities said was caused by a truck bomb, left three people dead. A further attack on the bridge in July, killing a couple and seriously wounding their daughter, left a span of the roadway hanging perilously.
The bridge connecting Crimea and Russia carries heavy significance for Moscow, both logistically and psychologically, as a key artery for military and civilian supplies and as an assertion of Kremlin control of the peninsula it annexed in 2014.
On Saturday afternoon, one civilian was killed and two wounded during shelling of Russiaâs Belgorod region bordering Ukraine, Belgorod Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said.
