Crimea’s Kerch Strait Bridge Becomes Flashpoint in Russia-Ukraine Conflict

The Kerch Strait Bridge, also known as the Crimea Bridge, became the focus of international attention when it was struck by a huge explosion on Saturday.

The bridge is both strategically vital and symbolically important to Russia, which accused Ukraine of committing a “terrorist” attack by detonating a truck bomb and setting the bridge on fire.

“There’s no doubt it was a terrorist act directed at the destruction of critically important civilian infrastructure of the Russian Federation. And the authors, perpetrators, and those who ordered it are the special services of Ukraine,” railed Russian leader Vladimir Putin on Sunday.

Putin launched waves of missiles at Ukrainian cities to retaliate for the bridge bombing, destroying civilian infrastructure and causing an as-yet undetermined number of casualties. 

The U.S., European Union, and United Nations condemned the Russian attacks as “unacceptable” and “barbaric.” Russia insisted the missile strikes were an appropriate response to Ukraine’s alleged bombing of the Kerch Strait Bridge and blamed the Ukrainians for escalating the conflict by hitting an ostensibly civilian target.

The bridge in question was swiftly constructed by Russia after it illegally annexed Crimea in 2014. Russian media claimed the project was finished six months ahead of schedule at a nominal cost of roughly $3.6 billion (some observers believe the true cost was nearly double that sum). The construction firm is owned by Putin’s friend, political ally, and occasional judo partner Arkady Rothenberg.

Putin was the first to cross the 12-mile span when it opened in 2018, ostentatiously driving across in an orange truck and declaring his pride at the rapid completion of the project, which his state media praised as “the construction of the century.” 

“In different historical epochs, even under the tsar priests, people dreamed of building this bridge. Then they returned to this in the 1930s, the 40s, the 50s. And finally, thanks to your work and your talent, the miracle has happened,” Putin told construction workers at the opening ceremony.

The explosion that shut down the bridge that filled Putin with so much pride occurred less than 24 hours after he celebrated his 70th birthday, a fact the Ukrainians commemorated by sending Putin a video of the burning structure accompanied by Marilyn Monroe singing “Happy Birthday, Mr. President.” Despite celebrating the bombing, the Ukrainian government has not formally taken responsibility for it.

Доброго ранку, Україно! 🇺 pic.twitter.com/UQMI6LheSR

— Oleksiy Danilov (@OleksiyDanilov) October 8, 2022

The Kerch Strait Bridge has parallel spans for road and rail traffic, both of which were halted after the explosion on Saturday. The bridge is the only direct transportation link between Russia and the Crimean peninsula and is therefore vital for shipping fuel and supplies from Russia to Crimea and its crucial port city of Sevastopol, home of Russia’s Black Sea fleet. According to the Russians, the massive fireball visible for miles after the explosion on Saturday was caused by seven railroad cars filled with fuel detonating.

Russia prefers to describe the bridge as civilian infrastructure, but it has become a vital link in the supply chain for invading Russian forces. Russian troops were sent through Crimea to attack the Kherson region of southern Ukraine. The bridge is still extensively used by the Russian military, which has no comparably secure and cost-effective alternative for moving supplies through Crimea and southern Ukraine.

The Kerch Strait, which the bridge crosses using a small island called Tuzla as an anchor, connects the Black Sea to the Sea of Azov. The Sea of Azov is enormously important to both Ukrainian and Russian commercial traffic, whose right of passage was secured in a 2003 treaty after a significant territorial conflict between Russia and Ukraine over control of Tuzla Island. 

In 2018, when Russia seized three Ukrainian ships in the Black Sea, the Kerch Strait Bridge was frequently seen in the background of the ensuing naval standoff. Ukraine complained that Russia deliberately built the bridge too low for large ships to pass beneath it as a way to frustrate Ukrainian military and commercial navigation.

The Kerch Strait Bridge is a symbol of Russian national pride, Vladimir Putin’s ambitions, and Russia’s conquest of Crimea, as well as an extremely valuable military and commercial asset. It is also a massive irritant to Ukraine — a perpetually visible insult, a constant threat of invasion that was finally carried out, and an obstacle to navigation.

Chatham House analyst James Nixey told the Associated Press on Saturday the damaged bridge “will have a further sapping effect on Russian morale” while delivering “an extra boost to Ukraine’s.”

“Conceivably the Russians can rebuild it, but they can’t defend it while losing a war,” Nixey observed. Russian state media claims partial repairs have already been made, and both trains and automobiles were able to cross the bridge a day after the bombing.

“The explosion is emblematic of a Russian military in disarray. Russian forces were unable to protect the bridge, despite its centrality to the war effort, its personal importance to Mr. Putin and its potent symbolism as the literal connection between Russia and Crimea,” the New York Times noted.