2022 Crimean Bridge explosion, Explosion and attack on a bridge in Crimea, Russia
The 2022 Crimean Bridge explosion was an attack on the Kerch Bridge, the road and rail crossing that links Crimea to the Russian mainland, on October 8, 2022. Two sections of the road deck collapsed into the water and fire spread to the railway section.
The bridge was completed in 2018, after Russia annexed Crimea in 2014, and was built to permanently link the peninsula to the Russian mainland. The October 2022 attack came in the middle of the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine, which had escalated in February of that year.
The bridge is seen in Russia as a national symbol, as Putin personally drove across it at its opening. In Ukraine, it is viewed as a sign of occupation, which reflects the deep divide between the two countries.
The incident concerns the Kerch Bridge, which crosses the strait between the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov, near the city of Kerch in Crimea. As the bridge is within a military restricted area, public access to the structure and its immediate surroundings is not possible.
Some experts doubt that an explosive-laden vehicle was the sole cause, and instead suggest an underwater drone struck the bridge from below. Bridges of this type are designed to resist forces from above, not from underneath, which makes them more vulnerable to that kind of weapon.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 60,000 contributors worldwide.
