MOSCOW – Russia on Monday said a Ukrainian attack on the Moscow-built bridge linking annexed Crimea to the Russian mainland killed a civilian couple and wounded their child. 

Moscow said two drones had hit the bridge in the early hours of Monday and blamed “the Kyiv regime.”

Traffic on the bridge was halted and officials advised stranded holidaymakers to get back to Russia through occupied Ukraine — active fighting zones.

It is the second attack on the bridge, a personal project of President Vladimir Putin, during the Kremlin’s 18-month long Ukraine offensive. 

“Two civilians died: a man and a woman, driving a car on the bridge,” the Russian Investigative Committee said. 

“Their daughter, a minor, was wounded.” 

The committee said two drones attacked the structure at night, describing it as a “terrorist” attack.

It added it was working to “establish the persons from Ukrainian special services and armed formations involved in the organisation and execution of this crime.”

Russia’s Anti-Terrorism Committee (NAK) said the drones hit the bridge at 3.05 am local time (0005 GMT).

“As a result of the terrorist act, a road component of the Crimean bridge was damaged.”

Authorities reported that the couple who died was from the Belgorod region bordering Ukraine, which has also been regularly hit by Kyiv. 

Belgorod governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said their daughter had wounds of “medium severity.” 

He assured Russian parents that children from his region brought to Crimean summer camps were safe. 

At night, the Moscow-installed head of Crimea Sergei Aksyonov had reported an “emergency” on the bridge, without giving details on what had happened. 

The governor of the nearby southern Russian region of Krasnodar, Veniamin Kondratyev, said he had set up helping points for people stranded in traffic. 

He called on locals not to use the bridge and, if they need to get to the peninsula, go through occupied eastern Ukraine. 

“If a trip is necessary, choose an alternative route through the new regions of Russia,” he said on Telegram. 

Russia has halted flights to Crimea since it launched its offensive due to nearby fighting, making the bridge the only link to the mainland. 

The bridge, which serves as a vital link for transporting supplies to Russian troops in Ukraine, was damaged by a truck bomb in October 2022. Moscow blamed the attack on Ukraine. – AFP