The attack that hit the bridge linking the Crimean peninsula to Russia on Monday is the second since the beginning of the war: the first, in October, was carried out with a truck full of explosives which destroyed part of the structure, and was claimed months later by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Monday’s attack, on the other hand, seems to have been carried out with two explosive drones capable of moving in water and it is very probable that it is still the work of the Ukrainian army (for example they have confirmed some sources at CNN), although at the moment there are no official confirmations. However, the bridge was slightly damaged, and the circulation of vehicles has already partially resumed.
The reasons why the Crimean Bridge (also called the Kerch Bridge, named after the Black Sea strait it connects) is a target of Ukrainian attacks are mainly of three types.
The first is of a military and strategic nature, because the bridge is a very important passageway for soldiers and military vehicles who pass from Russia to the Crimea, and from there to the front in south-eastern Ukraine. The second is symbolic: Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly demonstrated that he considers the Crimean bridge as the symbol of Russia’s control over the peninsula, and more generally as the symbol of a territorially strong and united Russia. Finally, the bridge is essential for the economy of occupied Crimea: without it, it would be much more difficult for Russia to supply the peninsula with food and basic necessities.
The damage caused to the bridge by Monday’s attack (EPA/RUSSIAN NATIONAL ANTI-TERRORIST COMMITTEE)
Construction of the bridge began in 2014, shortly after Russia’s illegal annexation of Crimea, and was completed in 2019. The bridge has two viaducts, one road and one railway, and is the longest in Russia and the longest in ‘Europe: measures just over 18 kilometers.
All the reasons why the bridge is important can be understood rather easily by looking at a map: the bridge provides an immediate connection between Russia and the Crimean peninsula. Without it, it would obviously be possible to use the ferries, but by land it would be necessary to make an infinitely longer tour, which would pass through other occupied Ukrainian territories.
A map made by CNN
From a military point of view, the bridge allows the rapid movement of soldiers and vehicles which then go north from the Crimea to reach the Ukrainian front. It also makes Crimea more easily defensible, because in the event of an attack the defending troops could move more easily. The bridge also strengthens Russia’s control over the peninsula, thereby allowing it to amplify its influence over the Black Sea (military slang for “project”), because it gives the Russian navy and air force a platform from which to move. more smoothly.
For Vladimir Putin, however, the symbolic value of the bridge is no less strong than its military one. In 2019, when construction was completed, he led a massive convoy of vehicles onto the bridge on opening day and said the workers who had helped build it had performed a “miracle.” In December last year, when the bridge was being repaired after the first Ukrainian attack, Putin once again drove across the bridge in a Mercedes, to underline its importance.
Putin believes that Crimea, which belongs to Ukraine and is militarily occupied by Russia, is a part of Russian territory, and that the bridge is a symbol of the indissoluble bond that binds the two territories. More generally, the 2014 occupation of Crimea was presented by Russian propaganda as the restoration of lost Russian territory and as proof of the return of Russian power to the world. In this sense, the Crimean bridge has become the symbol of a Russia capable of being strong again in the propaganda narrative.
Then there is an economic element that should not be underestimated: the bridge has become fundamental for the economy of Crimea, which after the occupation depends entirely on Russia. Without it, it would be much more complicated for Russia to send supplies to the peninsula, just as it would become more complicated for Russian tourists to reach it: for centuries Crimea has been a popular tourist destination for the Russians.