Ukraine detonates undersea bomb to damage key bridge

Ukraine yesterday used a massive underwater bomb to damage the road and rail bridge connecting the Crimean peninsula to Russia.

- Peter Beaumont Artem Mazhulin

The operation, claimed by the SBU Ukrainian security service, follows a sophisticated drone raid on Moscow's strategic bomber fleet on Sunday.

The latest strike on the 12-mile Kerch Bridge - a prestige project opened in 2018 by Russia's president, Vladimir Putin - comes amid what appear to be determined efforts by Kyiv to change the narrative promoted by the Trump administration that Ukraine holds few cards in the three-year war.

The mining of the bridge, which is heavily defended by Russian forces, is a major coup after the audacious long-range drone attack on airbases deep inside Russia.

Ukraine's president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, claimed the strikes damaged "34% of [Russia's] strategic cruise missile carriers".

In a further development yesterday, Russia's state investigative committee accused Ukraine of carrying out "acts of terrorism" by blowing up two railway bridges in Russia over the weekend.

Seven people were reportedly killed and 113 injured, including children, when two trains crashed as a result of the attacks.

A Russian rocket strike on the north-eastern Ukrainian city of Sumy yesterday killed at least four people and wounded 25, officials said.

Zelenskyy denounced the assault, saying it showed Moscow had no intention of halting the war.