Normal traffic resumes on Crimean Bridge after temporary closure

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
2 Aug 2023 09:30

The full restoration of two-way traffic on the Crimean Bridge is expected to occur gradually, with one side set to launch on September 15 and the other by November 1.

In this image from a video released on Wednesday, July 19, 2023 by Russian National Antiterrorism Committee, employees work at the damaged parts of an automobile link of the Crimean Bridge connecting Russian mainland and Crimean peninsula over the Kerch Strait not far from Kerch, Crimea (Russian National Antiterrorism Committee via AP)

Traffic has been reopened on the Crimean Bridge after a temporary closure early on Wednesday, as per the Telegram channel reporting on the situation.

Concurrently, local authorities reportedly urged everyone on the bridge and in the inspection area to remain calm during the closure. The bridge was attacked by Ukraine on July 17 using two drone boats, resulting in damage to the highway section.

A criminal case was opened by Russia's Investigative Committee under the "Act of Terrorism" article. While train traffic was restored on the same day, vehicle traffic was initially limited to the extreme right lane in the Taman-Kerch direction.

The full restoration of two-way traffic on the bridge is expected to occur gradually, with one side set to launch on September 15 and the other by November 1. During this time, traffic has been rerouted to the Kerch ferry crossing and the land corridor through new regions of Russia.

This is happening shortly after a US source revealed that Elon Musk caused Ukraine to abandon a planned naval drone strike in the Black Sea by withholding access to the Starlink satellite network.

The Ukrainian military was thus unable to remotely pilot an explosive-laden drone into a Russian ship in Crimea.

Musk has formerly stated that he does not want Starlink to be used for long-range offensive operations.

The New York Times reported that General Valeriy Zaluzhnyi, the chief of Ukraine's armed forces, expressed his concern to US General Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, as Kiev's senior general informed him that his soldiers' access to Starlink had been impeded on several occasions.

Since the beginning of the war, Ukraine has received around 20,000 Starlink terminals.

It is worth noting that Ukraine has utilized a fleet of naval drones to attack Russian targets, most notably destroying a section of the Kerch bridge that connects Crimea to mainland Russia.

Musk's unilateral authority over the Starlink system is what worries Ukraine's government.

Last year, Musk lit the Twitter platform on fire after proposing a "peace plan" for the war in Ukraine, arguing that Russia will probably win the war eventually, thus "millions of people may die needlessly for an essentially identical outcome."

The billionaire's initiative was greeted as a "positive" step by the Kremlin, while Kiev accused him of making plans aligned with Russian interests.