Kerch bridge blocked in Crimea after night drone attack

On the night of May 13, a series of explosions occurred in the annexed Crimea, and local residents reported flying drones over different parts of the peninsula. Due to the nighttime events, the Kerch Bridge was temporarily closed to traffic.

According to Krym.Realii, citing local publics, around 23:56, two loud explosions were heard in Simferopol from the direction of the village of Gvardeyskoye.

After midnight, drones were spotted in Gvardeyskoye, Simferopol district, as well as over a military unit in the Zaliznychny district of Simferopol. Local residents reported repeated loud explosions and shooting. The drones could also be moving in the direction of the Tavriya TPP.

Explosions and shooting were heard in the Kerch Strait area at night. The lighting of the Kerch Bridge was turned off, and the bridge itself was blocked for traffic. Traffic resumed only in the morning.

The occupiers' Ministry of Defense stated that during the night, air defense forces allegedly "intercepted and destroyed" 286 Ukrainian drones over 14 regions of Russia, the annexed Crimea, and the Azov and Black Seas.

In turn, neither the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine nor other defense structures have commented on the night's events in Crimea.

As a reminder, on the night of May 8, a series of explosions occurred in the temporarily occupied Crimea. According to local telegram channels and monitoring groups, a Russian military unit in Simferopol and a power substation in Krasnoperekopsk were hit by the Ukrainian Armed Forces, which caused large-scale fires.

In addition, on the night of April 30, 2026, the Ukrainian Navy attacked the Russian naval base in the Kerch Strait.

Earlier, Intent wrote how the Security Service of Ukraine conducted a large-scale nighttime special operation in the temporarily occupied territory of Crimea. The strikes were carried out on the naval base of the Russian Black Sea Fleet in Sevastopol, as well as on the Belbek military airfield. The operation was carried out by the Alpha unit using unmanned aerial vehicles.

Андрій Колісніченко