Crimea Bridge Closed as Explosions Rock Occupied Peninsula

Russian occupation authorities temporarily closed the Kerch Bridge early Friday as explosions were reported across occupied Crimea and air defenses opened fire over Sevastopol. The bridge was closed to road traffic at 12:29 a.m. Kyiv time on Friday.JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official. “Vehicle traffic on the Crimean Bridge has been temporarily suspended,” the Russian information center overseeing the crossing announced. Residents later reported two loud explosions in Simferopol. “At 1:55 a.m., a loud explosion rang out in Sevastopol, which was heard in different parts of the city. Car alarms went off in some areas,” Crimean Wind reported, citing subscribers. Mikhail Razvozhayev, the Kremlin-installed head of Sevastopol, said Russian forces were responding to what he described as a Ukrainian drone attack. “The military is repelling an attack by the Armed Forces of Ukraine in Sevastopol. Air defense and mobile fire groups are operating,” he said, claiming that five drones had been downed in the Balaklava district. Russian authorities announced that road traffic across the Kerch Bridge had resumed at 2:53 a.m. Kyiv time. The incident follows an intensified Ukrainian campaign against Russian military logistics and energy infrastructure in occupied Crimea. Ukraine’s Unmanned Systems Forces said they struck 154 energy targets in Crimea and other Russian-occupied Ukrainian territories between July 1 and July 27. Eighteen energy hubs were hit from July 25 through July 27, including 14 in occupied Crimea and four elsewhere in occupied Ukraine. Other Topics of Interest Russian Missile Destroys US-Owned Drone Factory in Kyiv A Russian missile struck a US-owned company, which made AI-guided “deep strike” drones designed to resist Russian jamming. Kyiv Post is Ukraine’s first and oldest English news organization, reporting since 1995. Its international reach – 97% of readers are outside of Ukraine – make it truly Ukraine’s global voice.