Ukraine has struck a ferry crossing in the city of Kerch in Russian-occupied Crimea, in addition to a boat in the neighboring Russian region of Krasnodar, according to a Ukrainian official. Serhii Bratchuk, spokesperson for the Odesa Oblast Military Administration, reportedly said that the attacks happened overnight on Friday, without giving any information on the extent of the damage or whether the boat struck was a military target. Multiple explosions were heard around Crimea in the early hours of Friday morning, according to local media, with a fire reported around the Kerch ferry crossing. Explosions were also heard in the city of Chernomorsk near Odesa at around 4:30 am local time (3:30 CET), while the Kerch bridge, which connects Crimea with Russia was reportedly closed to traffic from 2 am to 7 am. Across the border, Russia's Ministry of Defence said that Russian forces destroyed five Ukrainian aerial drones and two naval drones in the Black Sea. Ukraine has often attacked targets in the Russian-occupied Crimea since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion back in early 2022, after it first invaded and unilaterally annexed Crimea in 2014. Ukrainian attacks on the Crimean peninsula have previously caused widespread power outages and brought traffic on bridge crossings to a complete standstill. However, a navy spokesperson told local media in June that destroying the Kerch Bridge now would no longer be as useful because Russia has mostly stopped using it for military purposes. Yet, earlier in August, Ukrainian army intelligence chief Kyrylo Budanov stated that Kyiv had a "complex solution" in the works that could result in the destruction of the bridge. Moscow further fortified the crossing last month. The attacks on Crimea come as Kyiv continues its incursion into Russia itself, with Kyiv recently claiming its forces had captured the Russian town of Sudzha, in the biggest assault on Russian soil since World War II. — Euronews
