KYIV — Ukraine’s Special Operations Forces said on Tuesday that a drone operation had destroyed a railway bridge over the North Crimean Canal in Russian-controlled Crimea, targeting what Kyiv described as a key military supply route. Russian authorities had not publicly confirmed the extent of the damage, and independent verification of Ukraine’s claim was not immediately available.
According to a statement released by Ukraine’s Special Operations Forces, the strike took place in two phases near the village of Rozdolne in northern Crimea. Ukrainian forces said drones first struck the railway bridge during the night of June 21-22, damaging the rail line and causing the collapse of part of the structure. A second strike followed after repair equipment arrived at the site, the military said.
“Both the railway track and one of the bridge spans were destroyed,” the Special Operations Forces said in a statement. The military added that drones later targeted repair machinery and remaining sections of the bridge.
Ukrainian officials described the crossing as an important logistics corridor used to transport supplies and military equipment through Crimea to Russian forces operating in southern Ukraine. The bridge also supported transportation within the peninsula, according to the Ukrainian military.
The reported strike follows a series of Ukrainian drone attacks on infrastructure in and around Crimea in recent weeks. Ukrainian authorities have increasingly targeted fuel depots, transport links and energy facilities that they say support Russian military operations.
Earlier reports from local monitoring groups and media outlets indicated that drones struck the same railway bridge on June 18. At the time, the extent of the damage was unclear, and occupation authorities did not immediately comment on the incident.
Russia, which annexed Crimea in 2014, considers the peninsula part of its territory. Ukraine and most Western governments recognize Crimea as Ukrainian territory under Russian occupation. The conflict escalated sharply following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Russian-appointed officials in Crimea had not issued a detailed response to Ukraine’s latest claims as of Tuesday. The Associated Press reported that Moscow had not confirmed the reported destruction of the bridge, although recent security measures and disruptions on the peninsula have reflected concerns about repeated Ukrainian drone attacks.
As of late Tuesday, details on the bridge’s operational status remained unclear. Ukrainian officials said operations aimed at disrupting Russian military logistics in Crimea were continuing, while Russian authorities had not announced when rail traffic on the affected route might resume.
