Ukraine has set off an explosive device under a bridge that has become a symbol of the Kremlin’s claims on Ukrainian territory.
Ukraine’s forces launched what appeared to be one of its biggest waves of co-ordinated attacks of the conflict.
The SBU security service said it had hit a road and rail bridge that links Russia and Crimea below the water level with explosives.
The extent of any damage was not clear but there were no immediate signs of traffic disruption.
“Previously, we hit the Crimean Bridge twice, in 2022 and 2023. So today we continued this tradition underwater,” the SBU said in a statement, adding that the operation had been prepared over several months.
The bridge is a flagship project for President Vladimir Putin, built after Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine in 2014, in a precursor to the latest conflict.
The bridge attack was a day after talks in Istanbul made little progress towards ending the war.
Senior Ukrainian officials have visited the US seeking support against Russia.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian drones and shelling targeting the southeastern Zaporizhzhia region and the Kherson region in the south damaged electricity substations, temporarily leaving about 700,000 people without power, Russia-installed officials said.
Underlining the gulf between the two sides after more than three years of war, the Kremlin said work on trying to reach a peace settlement was extraordinarily complex and that it would be wrong to expect any imminent decisions.
Andriy Yermak, chief of staff to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, arrived in the United States along with Deputy Prime Minister Yuliia Svrydenko.
Ukraine says Russia is stalling the peace talks and Yermak signalled that he would press Ukrainian demands for tougher sanctions on Russia.
“We will actively promote issues that are important for Ukraine. Our agenda is rather comprehensive,” Yermak said on the Telegram app after arriving in Washington DC.
“We plan to talk about defence support and the situation on the battlefield, strengthening sanctions against Russia.”
Yermak said the officials would also discuss a deal that gives the US preferential access to new Ukrainian mineral projects and sets up an investment fund that could be used for the reconstruction of Ukraine.
Ukraine appears determined to show US President Donald Trump that it can still fight on despite the rising death toll and destruction.
Ukraine’s attack on Russian-occupied territory in the Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions followed multiple Russian attacks on Ukrainian energy infrastructure that have at times left millions of Ukrainians without power during the war.
“There is no electricity throughout the region,” Yevgeny Balitsky, the Russian-installed governor of Zaporizhzhia, said.
“The Ministry of Energy … has been instructed to develop reserve sources of electricity as soon as possible. Healthcare facilities have been transferred to back up power supply sources.”
The attack followed drone strikes at the weekend on Russian military airfields, some of which housed long-range nuclear-capable bombers.
Ukraine’s success in striking deep into Russia has prompted calls by some Russian military bloggers for a harsh response.
A Russian artillery strike on the northeast Ukrainian city of Sumy on Tuesday killed three people and wounded 25, local officials said.
“That’s all one needs to know about the Russian wish to end this war,” Zelenskiy said on Telegram.
Russia has responded to such accusations by saying Ukraine is not making a genuine effort to seek peace.
-with AAP
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