MOSCOW

The Ukrainian Security Service (SBU) claimed on Tuesday that it carried out an underwater operation damaging the Kerch Bridge, which connects mainland Russia with the Crimean Peninsula.

In a statement on Telegram, the intelligence service said the underwater operation was being prepared for several months.

"SBU agents mined the pillars of this illegal object. And today, without any civilian casualties, at 4.44 a.m., the first explosive device was activated," the statement read.

The underwater supports were severely damaged at the bottom level, Ukraine's intelligence said, adding it used 1,100 kg of explosives in TNT equivalent.

It claimed the bridge cannot be repaired.

The head of the SBU, Lt. Gen. Vasyl Malysh, personally supervised the operation and coordinated its planning, the SBU said.

In a separate statement, head of Ukraine's defense intelligence, Kyrylo Budanov, said he oversaw the planning of the sabotage operation and coordinated the actions of its participants.

According to him, similar actions have become a tradition for his intelligence service, and referred to attacks on the bridge in 2022 and 2023. He said the current attack was a continuation of this chain, albeit executed underwater this time.

To substantiate their claims, the Kyiv side published a video footage showing the explosion.

Russia has yet to officially comment on Ukraine's claims. However, vehicle traffic on the Crimean Bridge was temporarily suspended, according to a message posted on a Telegram channel monitoring operational updates near the bridge.

"Vehicle movement across the Crimean Bridge has been temporarily blocked," read the notification.

Motorists on the bridge and in inspection zones were advised to stay calm and follow instructions from transport security officers.

Russian military bloggers said that around 5 a.m. local time Ukrainian forces attempted another attack on the Crimean Bridge, using an underwater vehicle.

According to them, the explosion occurred near one of the piers, but the structure itself remained intact because the explosive device detonated in the vicinity of protective barriers. Some debris was scattered onto the roadway, leading to the traffic suspension.