Russia claims two dead and one injured in Ukrainian drone attack on Crimean bridge

Russian authorities claim a married couple have been killed and their daughter injured in a Ukrainian attack on a Crimean bridge connected to Russia's mainland.

Russia's National Anti-Terrorist Committee said that one of the bridge's sections had been blown up by the Ukrainian special services and involved two sea drones.

Ukrainian officials did not claim responsibility for the attack, which is the second major strike on the bridge since October, when a truck bomb blew up two of its sections.

A spokeswoman for the Ukraine's Southern Command said the explosions on the bridge could be a Russian provocation, but Ukrainian newspaper Ukrainska Pravda and local news outlets said the attack was planned jointly by the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) and the country's navy.

Kyiv did not initially acknowledge responsibility for October’s bombing, but a senior Ukrainian official did eventually confirm it.

Traffic on the bridge has now been halted.

The structure is a key artery for supplying Crimea, which serves as a major hub for Russia in the ongoing war.

The attack comes as Ukrainian forces are trying to press a counteroffensive in several sections of the front line.

Video posted by Crimea 24 online news channel showed a section of the bridge tilted and hanging down, but there was no indication any portion had fallen into the water.

Russia's Belgorod region governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said the attack killed a married couple from the region and their daughter was hospitalised with serious injuries.

The 19-kilometre (12-mile) bridge opened in 2018 and is the main land connection between Russia and the Crimean peninsula.

Crimea was annexed by Russia in 2014.

Andriy Yusov, a spokesman for Ukraine’s military intelligence department, declined to comment on Monday on the incident but said: "The peninsula is used by the Russians as a large logistical hub for moving forces and assets deep into the territory of Ukraine.

"Of course, any logistical problems are additional complications for the occupiers."

The Security Service of Ukraine posted a redacted version of a popular lullaby, tweaked to say that the bridge "went to sleep again."

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