Consequences of attack on Crimean Bridge: Queues towards bridge and ferry crossing, traffic jams in Kherson Oblast
A traffic jam has formed due to damage to the Crimean Bridge on the peninsula side, and many cars are queuing for the ferry on the morning of 17 July.
Source: Russian propaganda outlets RT and RIA Novosti; Russian Telegram channels; Russian Ministry of Transport
Quote from RT: "Road traffic [on the Crimean Bridge] has been suspended, and local authorities are urging people to choose alternative routes."
Черга авто на Кримському мосту. Відео російського пропагандистського видання RT pic.twitter.com/jZ4VZoSlzs
— Українська правда ✌️ (@ukrpravda_news) July 17, 2023
Details: The Astra Telegram channel posted a video of the queue for the Kerch Strait ferry crossing. Its operations were suspended, but according to the Russian Ministry of Transport, the ferry resumed operation at 10:00.
Черга на керченську паромну переправу. Відео з Telegram-каналу Astra pic.twitter.com/SGXD3XkMq7
— Українська правда ✌️ (@ukrpravda_news) July 17, 2023
The Russian Transport Ministry also published information about the situation on the Crimean Bridge as of 09:50.
It is reported that the Crimean Bridge has been closed to traffic; drivers are being offered an "alternative road route" through the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine.
The Russian Ministry of Transport says rail services on the Crimean Bridge have resumed.
The first train, No. 178 Simferopol-Moscow, which departed from the Kerch South (New Park) station at 08:34, has reportedly already crossed the Crimean Bridge.
The occupiers said they were taking "all necessary measures" to reinstate the train schedule.
RIA Novosti later reported that all checkpoints from Kherson Oblast to Crimea were supposedly operating normally and that the exit from Crimea was simplified.
It is claimed that there are no queues to leave the peninsula through the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine.
The checkpoints to Crimea from Kherson Oblast are also allegedly operating as usual, with waiting times of 20–25 minutes to enter Crimea.
It is reported that the main traffic jam in Kherson Oblast due to the closure of the Crimean Bridge to road traffic is from temporarily occupied Henichesk towards Melitopol.
Kremlin-aligned media outlets write that law enforcement officials are dealing with the traffic jam in batches through several checkpoints to avoid a large build-up of cars between Crimea and the temporarily occupied Kherson Oblast.
It is reported that cars are being inspected, and video filming is prohibited both at the checkpoints and on the road itself.
Background:
- Sergey Aksyonov, so-called head of the Russian administration in occupied Crimea, said an "emergency" had occurred on the Crimean Bridge and the bridge has therefore been closed to traffic. Russian Telegram channels have reported that a span on the bridge has collapsed.
- Ukrainska Pravda sources reported that the overnight attack on the Crimean Bridge was a special operation by the Security Service of Ukraine and the Ukrainian Navy. It was noted that the bridge was attacked using surface drones. Later, the theory that two surface drones were used was also mentioned by the Russian propaganda outlet RIA Novosti, citing the National Anti-Terrorist Committee of the Russian Federation.
- Russian media have previously asserted that the Crimean Bridge is guarded from the sky by fighter jets and underwater by divers and "combat dolphins".
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