Explosions near the Crimean Bridge. A hit Russian tanker

Residents of occupied Crimea report hearing explosions near the bridge connecting the peninsula with Russia on the night of Friday and Saturday. According to their reports, the lights were turned off on the crossing and traffic was stopped. Initially, the media considered the scenario that there were again explosions on an illegally built structure. It turns out, however, that the tanker was most likely hit.

As reported by the AP, some pro-Russian officials claimed that the explosions were related to a Ukrainian drone attack. As a result, it was not the bridge that was to be hit, but a Russian-flagged tanker sailing in its vicinity.

Explosions near the Crimean Bridge. What happened?

The occupation services closed the bridge on the night from Friday to Saturday and did not inform what was the reason. The lights were also turned off.

"It was reported that there were several explosions near the bridge. Russian officials claimed that three drones were shot down in the Kerch Strait. The Russians blamed the Ukrainian side for the attack," reported the Ukrainian news agency Unian. She later specified that a SIG tanker carrying a chemical cargo had been damaged.

Attack on the Crimean Bridge. A hit Russian tanker

The vessel in question is a commercial ship that sailed from Turkey but has a Russian flag. "Journalists learned that since 2019 he has been subject to US sanctions for supplying fuel to Syria," we read on the Unianu website.

A popular Russian channel on Telegram published photos of the tanker and reports on the course of events. "As a result of the drone attack, the engine room of the SIG tanker was flooded" - it was reported.

https://twitter.com/trbrtc/status/1687601666877521920

"There are 11 people on board the tanker," the Russian TASS news agency reported on Telegram, citing information from the Maritime Rescue and Coordination Center in Novorossiysk.

According to preliminary reports, the tanker was in one of the areas of the Kavkaz cargo port and was hit in the pumping station and engine compartment. "There was no fuel leak," the media reported.

https://twitter.com/IntelCrab/status/1687593249722994690

Russian tanker hit. The conversation of the captain with the lifeguards

A recording of a conversation between the captain of the ship and the rescuers also appeared on social media. In it, he explains that he needs a tugboat to continue sailing because his engine room is flooded.

Information about the damage to the tanker in the Black Sea was also confirmed by Retuers, quoting the Russian Federal Agency for Maritime and River Transport. "The ship's machinery compartment near the waterline was damaged, possibly as a result of a sea drone attack. There were no casualties," the agency reported on Telegram.