Ukraine’s Underwater Strike on the Kerch Bridge: A Strategic Blow to Russian Logistics and Symbolism

The early hours of June 1, 2025, witnessed a daring Ukrainian operation targeting the Kerch Bridge, a 19-kilometer structure connecting Russia to Crimea. This third assault on the bridge since Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022 marked a new frontier in asymmetric warfare, leveraging covert underwater sabotage to cripple a symbol of Moscow’s annexation and disrupt critical supply lines. The attack, executed by Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU), demonstrated Kyiv’s capacity to strike deep into Russian-controlled territory while exposing vulnerabilities in Putin’s prized infrastructure.