Drone attack on ammunition warehouse in Crimea triggers evacuation and bridge closure

(Patria) - A drone attack on an ammunition warehouse in Crimea prompted authorities to evacuate people within a five-kilometer radius and briefly halt road traffic on the bridge connecting the peninsula to Russia, said the Moscow-appointed governor of the region, Reuters reported.

Ukraine said its military destroyed an oil depot and Russian military warehouses in what it called the "temporarily occupied" Oktiabrske district in central Crimea.

The attack caused an explosion at the ammunition warehouse, said Russian governor Sergei Aksyonov, adding that there were no reports of damage or casualties. Footage shared by state media shows a thick cloud of gray smoke at the scene.

Aksyonov later said that all rail traffic in the affected area, which was temporarily suspended, had returned to normal.

Russian news agencies quoted the Health Ministry as saying that 12 people required medical assistance, and four were taken to hospital.

Russia seized and annexed Crimea from Ukraine in 2014, eight years before launching its full-scale invasion.

The brief halt of traffic on the Crimean Bridge, about 180 km east of the drone incident, came five days after explosions killed two people and damaged part of the roadway, the second major attack on the bridge since the start of the war.

The 19-km road and rail bridge is a vital logistical link for Russian forces and is also frequently used by Russian tourists flocking to Crimea in the summer.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Friday that the bridge is a legitimate target because it is a route for Russia's military supplies.

"This is the road that feeds the war with ammunition, and it is done daily," he said.

Russia is on high alert for incidents on the bridge, with an official Telegram channel telling people not to panic in case of an alarm. As an additional sign of security concerns in Crimea, Oleg Kryuchkov, Aksyonov's adviser, warned people not to post images of critical infrastructure online.

He called on people who know the authors of such posts to report them to the Ministry of Internal Affairs or the FSB security service.

"Remember that posting videos of military or other critical facilities online is work for the enemy," he said.