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Russia blocks traffic on Kerch Bridge amid reports of drone activity

Early morning blasts near Zatoka shipyard in Russian-occupied Kerch prompted the temporary closure of the bridge connecting Russia to occupied Crimea.
russia blocks traffic kerch bridge amid reports drone activity russia's strait rosavtodorru occupied crimea marked demolition early morning blasts near zatoka shipyard russian-occupied prompted temporary closure connecting ukraine news ukrainian
Russia’s Kerch Strait Bridge. Photo: rosavtodor.ru
Russia blocks traffic on Kerch Bridge amid reports of drone activity

Multiple explosions were reported near the Zatoka shipyard in Russian-occupied Kerch early on 6 December, leading to a temporary closure of the Kerch bridge.

Occupied Crimea functions as Russia’s military base, acting as a springboard for Russian offensives into Ukraine’s southern mainland, consolidating Russian forces and enhancing operational capabilities. Between 2017 and 2020, Russia constructed the Kerch road and railway bridges, linking its Taman Peninsula to occupied Crimea, to secure a vital logistical route to the occupied territory. This fall, Ukraine called for the demolition of Russia’s Kerch Bridge in a case against Russia at the International Tribunal in The Hague, citing violations of maritime law and environmental concerns.

Ukrainian monitoring channel Krymsky Veter reported around 6 a.m. that residents heard explosions and felt windows trembling from around 4 a.m. Kyiv time. The channel’s subscribers in Kerch reported a visible glow in the Arshyntseve neighborhood in southern Kerch and continued explosions near the shipyard.

According to Krymsky Veter, Ukrainian maritime drones were spotted in the Kerch strait around 7 a.m., with Russian forces attempting to counter them from sea, land, and air.

A Russian channel reporting the situation at the Kerch Bridge in real time said at 4:17 a.m. that occupation authorities closed the bridge to traffic. Traffic was restored at 9:22 a.m.

At the time of publication of this article, there were no official Ukrainian comments on the alleged drone attack.

Russia’s Defense Ministry claimed to have shot down one aerial drone over occupied Crimea and ostensibly destroyed two Ukrainian unmanned boats heading toward the Crimean Peninsula. The ministry also reported allegedly intercepting 30 Ukrainian drones across several regions of Russia – 14 in Voronezh Oblast, 11 in Kursk Oblast, and seven in Belgorod Oblast. Later, the ministry claimed the destruction of additional seven unmanned surface vehicles in the Black Sea.

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