TALLINN, Estonia (AP) — Traffic on the key bridge connecting Crimea to Russia’s mainland has been halted amid reports of explosions.
The governor of Crimea, which was annexed by Russia in 2014, announced the closure early Monday but did not specify the reason.
News reports said local residents heard explosions before dawn, but there was no confirmation.
Other news
Russia-appointed officials in Moscow-annexed Crimea say that a bridge between the Black Sea peninsula and Russia-occupied areas in southern Ukraine has been hit by Ukrainian missiles.
The Supreme Court of the Netherlands has ordered that a Dutch museum’s trove of historical treasures from Crimea be sent to Ukraine.
A Russia-appointed official in Crimea says a massive fire erupted at an oil depot there after it was hit by two Ukrainian drones.
Russian-appointed authorities in Crimea say the military has fended off a Ukrainian strike on a main naval base, while an exploding drone was also reportedly found in a forest near Moscow.
The 19-kilometer (12-mile) bridge that was opened in 2018 is the main land connection between Russia and the Crimean peninsula.
The bridge that spans the Kerch Strait was damaged in October by a truck bomb and required months of repairs before resuming full service. The bridge carries both road and rail traffic and is an important supply artery for Russia’s war in Ukraine.