Ukraine Bombs Crimea Bridge Underwater With 1,100 Kilograms of Explosives

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - According to CNN, the Ukrainian Security Service (SBU) confirmed it used 1,100 kilograms of explosives that inflicted severe damage on the bridge’s underwater support pillars. As a result, traffic across the bridge was suspended on Tuesday morning, paused again in the afternoon, and finally resumed shortly before 06:00 PM local time.

While the full extent of the damage is still being assessed, this attack marks the latest in a series of SBU-led operations designed to challenge Moscow. The Ukrainian intelligence agency stated that these operations aim to impose high costs on Russia for continuing its war against Ukraine.

Just days before the bridge attack, on Sunday, June 1, the SBU launched drone strikes on Russian air bases, targeting nuclear-capable bombers stationed thousands of kilometers from Ukrainian territory.

Vasyl Malyuk, the head of the SBU, claimed that the drone operation caused an estimated US$7 billion in damages and hit 34 percent of Russia’s strategic cruise missile carriers—missiles frequently used to attack Ukrainian cities.

Malyuk also oversaw Tuesday's bridge operation. “God loves the Holy Trinity, and the SBU always oversees everything to completion and never does the same thing twice. We previously hit the Crimea Bridge twice, in 2022 and 2023. So today, we continue this tradition, this time underwater,” he said.

Meanwhile, Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide, whose country borders Russia, warned that President Vladimir Putin remains uninterested in reaching a peace agreement.

“As long as Putin does not realize that it's more costly to continue the war than to end the war, I think he will not be really forthcoming. He may pretend to negotiate but is actually just repeating his own asks,” Espen told NHK on Wednesday, June 4, 2025.

Russia Responds with Strikes on Kharkiv

In response to the Ukrainian attacks, Russia launched a wave of missile and drone strikes on the northeastern city of Kharkiv on Thursday, June 5. According to regional governor Oleh Syniehubov, 17 people were injured, including two 13-year-old girls, a pregnant woman, and a 93-year-old woman. The extent of their injuries has not been disclosed.

These strikes are part of a broader escalation. On Sunday, June 1, Russia launched its largest drone assault since the beginning of its full-scale invasion, deploying 472 drones in a single day. A day later, on June 2, another round of drone and missile attacks in Kharkiv left six people wounded, including a child.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky reported on June 4 that Russia had carried out approximately 48,600 aerial attacks across Ukraine since the start of 2025. Kharkiv, situated near the Russian border, remains one of the most frequently targeted regions, with residential areas and civilian infrastructure often bearing the brunt of these attacks.

The Crimea Bridge, constructed following Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014 and inaugurated by President Vladimir Putin in 2018, is both a strategic military asset and a potent symbol of Russia’s claim over the peninsula. The project cost roughly US$3.7 billion and serves as a vital supply line for Russian forces in southern Ukraine.

Dewi Rina Cahyani contributed to the writing of this article.

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