Russia no longer using Crimea Bridge to transport weapons – SBU chief

That’s according to the head of the Security Service of Ukraine, Vasyl Maliuk, who spoke in an interview with ICTV, Ukrinform reports.

"At one time, we received a task from the President of Ukraine to sever the enemy's military supply routes in that direction. Actually, two successful operations were executed. Now you must understand that they do not use the Crimea Bridge for arms supplies. Before our successful attacks, 42 to 46 trains carrying weapons and ammunition used to pass across the bridge on a daily basis. Today it’s four to five trains. Four carry passengers and another one – consumer goods. That is, the enemy does not use the bridge today at all to supply weapons and means of destruction," he said.

However, according to the head of the SBU, the Russians are working on repairing the Crimea Bridge.

"At the moment, the supports and the so-called backs on which they stand are damaged there. When they are restored, perhaps they will begin to haul their ammunition across this bridge again. Then we will once again send them our greetings. Everything needs to be timed right," said Maliuk.

He added that the agency has the potential to completely destroy the Crimea Bridge connecting the occupied peninsula to mainland Russia.

In addition, the head of the SBU shared some details of the first combat operation to attack the Crimea Bridge.

"We started working on the mission plan back in March 2022. And it was successfully executed on October 8 of the same year, the day after the putler's birthday," said Maliuk.

According to the agency chief, it was a challenging operation so the team of its masterminds walked along “many thorny paths” in order to execute it to perfection.

SBU operatives employed improvised explosive devices, concealed within plastic film rolls. They used a mixture weighing almost 14 tons, that is, 21 tons in TNT equivalent.

A super-sophisticated triple duplicate detonation system was used.

According to Maliuk, after the first attack on the Crimea Bridge, heads of some Western intelligence agencies services said they praised the effort by Ukrainian operatives.

Earlier, in a comment to Ukrinform, the head of the joint press center of Operational Command South, Natalia Humeniuk, said the statement by the Russian dictator Vladimir Putin about the construction of a railway to the occupied Crimea through Donbas shows that Russians no longer trust the Kerch Bridge. However, this railway will also be a legitimate target for Ukraine’s Defense Forces, Humeniuk added.

Photo: SBU