Russia reports drills and drones amid smoke and gunfire in Crimea

The situation near the bridge was reported by the publication Krym. Realii, citing local sources.

According to the post, Telegram channels reported sounds of explosions and gunfire in Sevastopol, and traffic on the Crimean Bridge came to a halt.

The leader of the occupying power in Sevastopol, Mykhail Razvozhayev, stated that Russian military training was taking place in the Kozacha Bay of Sevastopol until 11:00 p.m.

Simultaneously, the Russian Ministry of Defense claimed that two drones, an MQ-9 Reaper and a TB2 Bayraktar, were observed conducting aerial reconnaissance over the Black Sea waters. TASS provided this information. The agency stated that two fighter jets were deployed, causing the UAV to change its flight direction and depart the area.

However, Krym.Realii contradicted this claim, indicating that there were no recorded drones in the Crimea region according to the Flightradar service during that time.

Explosions near the Crimean Bridge

On the afternoon of Saturday, August 12, 2023, Sergey Aksyonov, the head of the Russian administration in occupied Crimea, reported that the Defense Forces of Ukraine attempted missile strikes on the Crimean Bridge. Aksyonov claimed that Russian air defense had shot down two Ukrainian missiles in the Kerch Strait region.

Aksyonov stated that the Crimean Bridge was supposedly undamaged, and there was no information about any casualties.

However, Russia's Ministry of Defense contradicted this, asserting that only one missile was involved. The Russian Ministry of Defense explained that it was a modified "S-200 anti-aircraft guided missile" turned into a strike weapon.

Prior to this, images emerged on local social media showing four instances of smoke, both on the bridge itself and its surroundings. These pictures depicted two clusters of black smoke and two clusters of white smoke.

Oleg Kryuchkov, an "adviser" to Aksyonov on information policy, attributed the white smoke to a smokescreen created by special services.

Starting from 12:36 p.m., the occupants halted traffic on the Crimean Bridge. Russian coast guard boats were dispatched to the area.

Around 3:00 p.m., eyewitnesses once again took to social media to report a smokescreen on the Crimean Bridge. The correspondent from Krym.Realii reported hearing at least five explosions.

Shortly after, both Aksyonov and the Ministry of Defense of Russia claimed for the second time that they had successfully defended against a Ukrainian missile attack. They attributed it again to the S-200 missile.

Yuriy Ihnat, the spokesperson for the Ukrainian Armed Forces' Air Force, mentioned that he lacked details about the explosions in Crimea on August 12. Nonetheless, he said that blocking the Crimean Bridge would not have happened without reason.

According to military sources, the Crimean Bridge is currently in what's termed the "ventilation stage," leading to frequent closures and openings, and it isn't operating at full capacity.

On August 22, the GUR (Main Intelligence Directorate) reported that the Russians were taking steps to sink six vessels in the Kerch Strait area. This action is supposedly aimed at safeguarding the bridge against potential attacks from the Ukrainian Armed Forces.