Ukraine obliterates Crimea rail bridge in 'long-range sanctions' campaign

Ukrainian forces have obliterated a strategic rail bridge in Russian-occupied Crimea, the second strike on the key supply artery, in what President Volodymyr Zelensky described as part of Kyiv’s “long-range sanctions” against Russia’s military machine. Footage shared by Ukraine’s Special Operations Forces shows a series of drone strikes on the infrastructure over the North Crimean Canal near Rozdolne village. The bridge, the military said, “no longer exists”. “It was a strategic military-logistical artery of the occupiers,” the SOF said in a statement. The bridge lies on the rail line linking the Kerch Strait crossing to the rest of Crimea and onward to Russian forces in southern Ukraine, making it vital for moving soldiers, ammunition and fuel. The attack was a two-phase operation: first, drones destroyed both the railway track and one of the spans; then, “underground members of SOF resistance movement” coordinated the destruction of repair equipment and the remains. It was the second strike on the bridge, the SOF noted, part of a broader campaign to cut Russia’s logistics. In recent weeks, Ukraine has used an increasingly capable fleet of mid- and long-range drones to hit key roads and bridges across the peninsula, according to the SOF. The defence minister, Mykhailo Fedorov, warned last week that “for the Russians, the real hell is just beginning”. On Sunday, a similar drone strike targeted a Crimean oil depot and an oil transport facility in Russia’s southern Krasnodar region, according to officials. The Kremlin-appointed governor of Crimea, Sergey Aksyonov, said four people were killed and 28 others wounded in the attacks. He later wrote on social media that local gas stations would halt sales to non-state companies and individuals for an undefined period. “Fuel will be sold only to government agencies that ensure the functioning and security of the Republic of Crimea,” Aksyonov said, adding: “I ask everyone to remain calm and to only trust official sources of information.” Ukraine’s domestically produced “Flamingo” missiles and data-enabled drones have been used to target oil facilities, road and rail corridors, ferries and bridges, forcing Russian authorities to suspend fuel sales to the public and announce a total ban on children’s summer camps this week, according to reports from the peninsula. Tourists and locals have taken to social media to complain about the impact of the strikes. Domitilla Sagramoso, senior lecturer at the Department of War Studies at King’s College London and an expert in Russian foreign and security policy, noted that Putin’s annexation of Crimea in 2014 – carried out without bloodshed – was seen as his greatest triumph. By targeting the peninsula, Kyiv is aiming to drive a wedge between Putin and his people and force him to the negotiating table. “Last night, our long-range sanctions targeted the occupiers’ military logistics, oil industry, and air defense,” Zelensky posted on social media alongside footage of the strikes. “All of this is a just response to Russia’s brutal attacks against our people.”