Ukraine’s Navy Reports Strike on Two Russian Boats Guarding Kerch Bridge

The Ukrainian Navy said that during the night of April 30, it struck two Russian military boats in the Kerch Strait that had been involved in guarding the Kerch Bridge. A corresponding video was published on the Navy’s social media pages.

This was reported by Krym Realii.

The released footage shows naval drones approaching the designated targets.

“As a result of the strike, the Sobol patrol boat of Russia’s Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation and the Grachonok anti-sabotage boat were hit. As a result of the strike, the enemy suffered irreversible and medical losses. These boats are key units of the Coast Guard of the Border Service of the Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation and the Russian Navy, used to guard the Kerch Bridge and counter saboteurs,” the caption under the video said.

It should be noted that the Kerch Bridge was closed from 3:11 a.m., and traffic has still not resumed.

At 3:35 a.m., the Telegram channel Krymskyi Viter, citing its subscribers, reported that gunfire had been heard in the area of the Kerch Strait, and that the lights on the Kerch Bridge had been switched off.

Russian military officials have not commented on the situation so far.

The Kerch Bridge is strategically important for Russia both for supplying occupied Crimea and for transferring manpower, equipment, and weapons there to continue the war against Ukraine.

In early March last year, the commander of the Ukrainian Navy, Vice Admiral Oleksii Neizhpapa, said in an interview with The Guardian that Ukraine could strike the Kerch Bridge for a third time.

Earlier, on October 8, 2022, an explosion occurred on the Kerch Bridge. According to Russian law enforcement authorities, a truck was blown up on the bridge, causing the collapse of two road spans and a major fire on the railway section. Four people were killed. Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin, citing an investigation by Russia’s Investigative Committee, called the blast on the Kerch Bridge a “terrorist attack” and blamed Ukrainian special services.

Another explosion occurred on the Kerch Bridge on July 17, 2023. Russian authorities and security agencies again accused Ukrainian special services of carrying out the attack.

In an interview with Krym Realii, Oleksii Neizhpapa said that the Kerch Bridge is a difficult target for Ukrainian forces, but “there is no fortress that cannot be destroyed.” At the same time, he said the bridge remains a target for Armed Forces of Ukraine, though “informational silence” is necessary for its successful strike.