Ukraine has detonated a massive underwater blast targeting the key road and rail bridge connecting the Russian-occupied Crimean peninsula to Russia, damaging its underwater supports.
In a further development on Tuesday, Russia’s state investigative committee accused Ukraine of carrying out “acts of terrorism” by blowing up two railway bridges in Russia over the weekend.
It is the third time Ukraine has targeted the key logistics route since Moscow’s full-scale invasion in 2022.
“We plan to talk about defence support and the situation on the battlefield, strengthening sanctions against Russia,” Yermak said on Telegram.
Peskov also dismissed the idea of a summit between the presidents of Russia, Ukraine and the US.
Targeting the vital rail bridge and road that connect Russia and the Russian-occupied Crimean peninsula, Ukraine detonated a massive underwater blast that damaged its underwater supports.
Following a sophisticated drone attack on Moscow’s strategic bomber fleet on Sunday, the operation—for which Kyiv’s SBU security service claimed responsibility—is the second high-profile Ukrainian operation in a few days to target important Russian assets.
The attack coincided with Ukraine’s confirmation that it had been invited to the NATO summit later this month, following President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s statement that Russia would “win” if Ukraine did not attend.
The most recent attack on the 12-mile-long Kerch bridge, a prestige project of Russian President Vladimir Putin that he inaugurated in 2018, coincides with Ukraine’s seemingly determined attempts to refute the message that Kyiv has few cards in the war, which is being promoted by the Trump administration.
Following the bold long-range drone attack on airbases deep inside Russia, which Zelenskyy said had damaged “34 percent of [Russia’s] strategic cruise missile carriers,” the bridge, which is heavily guarded by Russian forces, is being mined.
Ukraine was charged by Russia’s state investigative committee on Tuesday with committing “acts of terrorism” by detonating two railroad bridges in Russia over the weekend. The attacks resulted in the crash of two trains, killing seven people and injuring 113 others, including children.
At least four people were killed and twenty-five injured in Tuesday’s Russian rocket attack on the city of Sumy in northeastern Ukraine, according to officials. The attack was condemned by Zelenskyy, who said it demonstrated Moscow’s lack of desire to stop the war.
The SBU claimed that the Kerch bridge attack had been planned for several months and that the base of the bridge supports had been “severely damaged” by the use of more than a metric tonne of TNT.
Since Moscow launched a full-scale invasion in 2022, Ukraine has targeted the vital logistics route three times.
A truck detonated on the bridge in October 2022, and the SBU claimed to have used an experimental naval drone to blow up a portion of the bridge in July 2023. Russia fixed the damaged parts both times.
According to SBU Lt Gen Vasyl Maliuk, who oversaw the most recent operation, the bridge was “an absolutely legitimate target, especially considering that the enemy used it as a logistical artery to supply its troops.”.
“Ukraine is a crime, and any indication of occupation will be met with our firm response,” he continued. “.”.
The SBU released video of a blast emerging from the water and flying debris, as well as a picture of some damage to the bridge’s side.
Russian authorities posted a temporary suspension of road traffic on the bridge on Telegram on Tuesday. According to Russian state media, it had been off-limits to vehicles for roughly four hours.
Russia rejected Kyiv’s demand for an unconditional ceasefire at talks in Istanbul the day before, saying on Tuesday that it was unrealistic to expect a speedy breakthrough in Ukraine talks. Over the course of the more than three-year Russian offensive, millions of people have been displaced from their homes in eastern Ukraine and tens of thousands have been killed on both sides. Russia’s top negotiator stated following the negotiations that Russia had instead offered a two- to three-day partial truce in some frontline areas.
Dmitry Peskov, the spokesperson for the Kremlin, told reporters on Tuesday that the settlement issue is very complicated and involves many nuances. It would be incorrect to anticipate answers and innovations right away. “”.
During the talks, which lasted just under two hours on Monday, the parties instead decided on a broad exchange of captured soldiers and their “memorandums,” or roadmaps to peace.
In a document presented to the Ukrainians and reported by Russian state media, Moscow is requesting that Ukraine withdraw its troops from four areas in the east and south that it says it has annexed as a condition of halting its offensive.
Peskov was addressing the US as Zelenskyy’s chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, and deputy prime minister Yulia Svrydenko arrived to demand more severe sanctions against Russia.
On Telegram, Yermak stated, “We intend to discuss defense assistance and the battlefield situation, bolstering sanctions against Russia.”.
A summit between the presidents of Russia, Ukraine, and the United States was also rejected by Peskov.
“It is unlikely in the near future,” he told reporters, adding that a breakthrough between Russian and Ukrainian negotiators would be necessary before such a summit could take place.
On Monday, the White House declared that Donald Trump was “open” to the idea of a summit, which Zelenskyy and Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, the president of Turkey, also support.
Following rumors that tensions between Zelenskyy and Trump administration officials might resurface, the Ukrainian president welcomed Zelenskyy’s participation in the June 24–26 NATO summit in The Hague.
We received an invitation to attend the NATO summit. Zelenskyy stated, “I believe this is significant,” following a meeting with Mark Rutte, the secretary general of NATO, in Vilnius on Monday.
