The Independent: Russia ceases military cargo transport via Crimea bridge

The utilization of the Crimean bridge for transporting military cargo by Russia has ceased, as reported by The Independent, citing information from the Molfar agency and analysis conducted using satellite images from Maxar.

Over the past three months, there has been no passage of military-laden trains across the Crimean bridge. The sole exception was observed on February 29 when a 55-car train carrying fuel traversed the bridge, said the Independent. 

Following the outbreak of conflict, the Ukrainian Defense Forces launched multiple attacks on the bridge in Crimea, also referred to as Kerch. Particularly impactful were the explosions in October 2022 and July 2023, inflicting significant damage. The bridge, initially planned for joint construction by Ukraine and Russia in 2013, was constructed solely by Russia following the annexation of Crimea in 2014. 

Operationalization commenced in 2018 with the opening of the road segment, followed by the railway segment in 2019.

During the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Russia extensively utilized the Crimean bridge for military supply operations.