2 minute and 30 second timer9/27/2023 Natalia Humeniuk, a spokesperson for the Ukrainian military's Southern Command, said the explosions on the bridge could be a Russian provocation. The attack on the bridge came as Ukrainian forces try to press a counteroffensive in several sections of the front line. "Even before this terror attack President Putin had declared our stand on that." No outright denial from Ukraine "No, these developments aren't connected," spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said. The attack happened hours before Russia announced a halt to a wartime deal that allows grain to flow from Ukraine to countries in Africa, the Middle East and Asia, although the Kremlin denied the link. Crimea bridge blast prompts Putin to tighten security for links to Russia.Russia says it won't renew wartime deal allowing Ukraine to ship grain.The $3.6-billion US bridge is the longest in Europe and is crucial for enabling Russia's military operations in southern Ukraine during the almost 17-month-long war. The bridge is a conspicuous symbol of Moscow's claims on Crimea and an essential land link to the peninsula, which Russia captured from Ukraine in 2014. Ukrainian officials didn't claim responsibility for the attack. The strike on the bridge was carried out by two Ukrainian sea drones, Russia's National Anti-Terrorist Committee said. He also promised "there will be a response from Russia, of course." Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered increased security at the 19-kilometre bridge, repeating a call he made in October 2022 when the span was severely damaged by an explosion that Moscow also blamed on Kyiv. Hours after Monday's attack, video from Russian authorities showed crews picking up debris from the deck of the bridge, a section of which appeared to be sloping to one side, and a damaged black sedan with its passenger door open. Vehicle traffic on the Kerch Bridge came to a standstill, while rail traffic across the 19-kilometre span also was halted for about six hours. Two people were killed and their daughter was injured. An attack before dawn Monday damaged part of a bridge linking Russia to Moscow-annexed Crimea that is a key supply route for Kremlin forces in the war with Ukraine, forcing the span's temporary closure for a second time in less than a year.
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