Ukraine has said targeting the bridge has been a key tactic (Picture: East2West)
Ukraine has attempted to launch an overnight attack on the bridge linking Russia to the annexed Crimean peninsula.
Three semi-submersible kamikaze drones were destroyed en-route to the crossing by the Russian Black Sea Fleet, according to the defence ministy in Moscow, who denounced the attacks as terrorism.
Russia claimed one of the unmanned drones had been targeting its patrol ship and ‘tried to hide among the ships at the anchorage’ in the Kerch Strait, but was intercepted straight away.
The Crimea bridge, which was erected four years after Russia occupied the peninsula, has been targeted a number of times by Ukraine who said its destruction was vital to its attack against Putin’s troops.
Ukraine – who rarely comments on its attacks against Russian targets – has twice launched successful attacks on the bridge.
In October, a bomb was concealed in a truck which was blown up on the bridge causing major damage.
Most recently in July, a specially-developed marine kamikaze was loaded with 850kg of explosives, severely damaging the infrastructure and killing two people.
Large traffic jams were seen on either side of the bridge(Picture: Social media/east2west news)
Ukraine has succesfully struck Crimea bridge – most recenrly in July (Picture: Reuters)
The latest attack blocked the bridge and caused large traffic jams for drivers on both sides.
Russia has boasted about its improved surveillance of drone activity around Crimea, claiming it has thwarted a number of Ukrainian attacks on the peninsula.
‘The Black Sea Fleet has set up constant monitoring of the situation in the Black Sea through all types of reconnaissance,’ its defence ministry said.
Russia has been struck by a record number of drone strikes over the past seven days, including an attack that destroyed two Il-76 transport planes and damaged two more along the country’s NATO border with Latvia and Estonia.
Ukraine also claimed to have damaged a number of Russian fighter jets as well as a key missile manufacturing plant in Moscow – an attack strongly denied by Russia.
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