As Russia reels from drone attack, Ukraine targets vital Crimean Bridge
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Diverging Reports Breakdown
Crimea bridge reopens after Ukraine says it carried out underwater explosion
Traffic resumes on Crimean bridge after Ukraine’s underwater attack. The bridge had been opened to fanfare by Vladimir Putin in 2018. It is used by Russia to supply its military in occupied parts of Ukraine. The early morning explosion marked was the latest operation in Ukraine’s saga of striking inside Russia.
Adam Goldsmith
Live reporter
Image source, Reuters Image caption, The bridge, pictured here in 2023, has been attacked twice before by Ukraine
Traffic has resumed across Crimea’s Kerch Bridge this afternoon, hours after Ukraine struck its foundations with underwater explosives.
A hated symbol for Ukrainians, the bridge had been opened to fanfare by Vladimir Putin in 2018, and is used by Russia to supply its military in occupied parts of Ukraine.
Our Verify team geolocated the explosion to the eastern edge of the road bridge, which was quickly closed, before reopening, and then closing again.
The early morning explosion marked was the latest operation in Ukraine’s saga of striking inside Russia.
On Sunday, Volodymyr Zelensky declared that an operation known as “Spider’s Web” had seen more than 100 smuggled drones hit a third of Russia’s bomber planes deep in the country.
Meanwhile, Russian strikes on civilian centres continue, with four people reportedly killed and 28 injured in the north-eastern border city of Sumy.
Despite this, the two sides met just yesterday for a second round of peace talks, where a further prisoner swap was agreed, but Ukrainian negotiators suggested that Russia had again rejected an “unconditional ceasefire”.
We’re bringing our live coverage to a close for now, but we’ll be keeping our news story updated with any updates.
As Russia reels from drone attack, Ukraine targets vital Crimean Bridge
Ukraine claims to have damaged the Crimean Bridge in an early-morning operation. It is the third attack on the bridge since the start of Russia’s 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The attack comes 48 hours after Kyiv’s unprecedented assault on air bases deep inside Russian territory. The latest attack marks an intensification of the conflict, as both sides have been pushed to the table by the U.S. and European allies to negotiate a cease-fire. The U.N. Security Council has called for an end to the violence in Ukraine by the end of the year. The European Union and the United States have called for a ceasefire by the beginning of the new year, but Russia has refused to negotiate.. The United Nations has called on all sides to refrain from using force in the Ukraine conflict, including by attacking each other’s military facilities and sending troops to the border. The EU has also called on both sides to stop using drones and missile strikes against each other in the past week.
“Today, at 4:44 a.m., without any civilian casualties, the first explosive device was detonated,” the agency said in a statement, with accompanying video footage of the detonations. “The underwater support pillars were severely damaged at the seabed level — aided by the equivalent of 1,100 kg of TNT. As a result, the bridge is effectively in an emergency condition.”
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The Washington Post could not independently verify these claims, and it was not immediately clear how much damage had been caused to the bridge. It was closed soon after the morning explosion but reopened a few hours later.
Local Telegram channels in Crimea reported a second explosion Tuesday afternoon, and the bridge was once again closed to traffic for several hours. As of yet, there has been no official confirmation of the attack from Moscow.
This would be Ukraine’s third attack against the bridge — a key supply route, but also a symbol of Russia’s occupation — since the start of Russia’s 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine. In 2023, a Ukrainian attack using unmanned sea drones killed two civilians and damaged part of the road, closing a section of the bridge for several months.
“There is no place for illegal Russian structures on the territory of our state,” Lt. Gen. Vasyl Maliuk, head of the Security Service, said in a statement. “The Crimean Bridge is a completely legitimate target, especially considering that the enemy used it as a logistical artery to supply its troops. Crimea is Ukraine, and any form of occupation will be met with a firm response.”
Tuesday’s attack follows Ukraine’s stunning operation targeting Russia’s strategic bomber fleet on Sunday, which was also coordinated by Maliuk and overseen by President Volodymyr Zelensky himself.
The attack, which was planned over the course of 18 months and involved smuggling dozens of drones armed with explosives deep into Russian territory as far as Siberia and the Far East, reportedly destroyed at least 12 aircraft. Ukraine said the damaged or destroyed aircraft, some of which were nuclear-capable, included A-50, Tu-95, Tu-22 M3 and Tu-160 models — planes Kyiv said Russia had used nearly every night to bomb Ukraine.
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Most of the details on how the drone attack was carried out remain secret, and it is also not known if the planes reportedly destroyed were in active service.
President Vladimir Putin has yet to comment on the attacks, and Russian state media has remained noticeably silent in the wake of Sunday’s events. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Tuesday that the president was being kept abreast of developments and that an investigation was underway.
“Naturally in the Kremlin they are not happy,” a former senior Kremlin official told The Post, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive matters. “Of course, this is a failure of the Russian special services, and it is unpleasant for Putin — but he has a thick skin and a stable psyche.”
Although Ukraine had successfully carried out an “ingenious and complex operation,” he countered, Putin was playing a longer game.
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“Putin is thinking about other things — every month of the war increases the shortage of manpower in the Ukrainian army, and there seems to be no solution to this problem. Putin is planning to wait and see out these troubles,” continued the former official, adding that there wouldn’t necessarily be a direct response to the attacks from Moscow amid the continuing escalation on both sides.
Russia’s pro-war military bloggers have been enraged by the attacks, which some dubbed Russia’s Pearl Harbor, and said they had caused significant damage to Russia’s military capabilities. Hawkish former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev on Tuesday promised revenge against Kyiv for the attacks.
“Everything that is supposed to explode, will certainly explode,” wrote Medvedev, who now serves as the deputy chairman of Russia’s Security Council, in a post on Telegram.
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In the past week, Russia has also launched swarms of drones and missile strikes against Ukrainian cities. The latest exchange of attacks marks an intensification of the conflict, as both sides have been pushed to the negotiating table by President Donald Trump and European allies, and as Moscow has refused any talk of a ceasefire.
A Russian strike on the northeastern city of Sumy on Tuesday morning killed four people and injured 24, according to local authorities.
Russia and Ukraine met for a brief second round of direct talks in Istanbul on Monday, agreeing to swap dead and captured soldiers, but there was no significant progress toward ending the grueling war or even agreeing to a ceasefire.
Ukraine negotiators after the talks said they had requested a meeting of Putin, Zelensky and Trump to move forward the process, but Peskov on Tuesday dismissed the idea and said any such high-level meeting was “unlikely.”
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Moscow on Monday also published its terms of discussion for any peace deal, including Ukraine surrendering more territory to Russia, cutting down the size of its military and not engaging in any alliances or weapons deals with Western nations.
Medvedev on Tuesday cast the direct peace talks as a way to ensure a swift Russian victory.
“The Istanbul talks are not for striking a compromise peace on someone else’s delusional terms but for ensuring our swift victory and the complete destruction of the neo-Nazi regime,” he wrote.
Russian rockets kill 3 in a Ukrainian city as Kyiv claims it damaged a key bridge
Ukrainian president calls the attack on Sumy a “completely deliberate” strike on civilians. The attack came a day after direct peace talks in Istanbul made no progress on ending the three-year war. Ukraine’s secret services said they struck again inside Russia, two days after a spectacular Ukrainian drone attack on air bases deep inside the country. The war has killed more than 12,000 Ukrainian civilians, according to the United Nations, as well as tens of thousands of soldiers on both sides along the roughly 1,000-kilometer (620-mile) front line. The Russian Defense Ministry acknowledged that the Ukrainian attack set several planes ablaze at two air bases but said the military repelled attempted attacks on three other air bases. The Ukrainian president appealed for global pressure and “decisive action from the United States, Europe and everyone in the world who holds power,” he wrote on social media.“A-Zelky-Trump meeting is ‘unlikely’ soon, Moscow says.”
The attack came a day after direct peace talks in Istanbul made no progress on ending the three-year war. Local authorities said the barrage of rockets struck apartment buildings and a medical facility in the center of Sumy.
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — A Russian rocket attack targeted the northeastern Ukrainian city of Sumy on Tuesday, killing at least three people and injuring 25, officials said. President Volodymyr Zelensky denounced the assault, saying it underscored that Moscow has no intentions of halting the three-year war.
A vital bridge to Crimea
The Ukrainian Security Service, known by its acronym SBU, claimed it damaged the foundations of the Kerch Bridge linking Russia and illegally annexed Crimea — a key artery for Russian military supplies in the war.
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The SBU said it detonated 1,100 kilograms (2,400 pounds) of explosives on the seabed overnight, in an operation that took several months to set up. It was the third Ukrainian strike on the bridge since Russia’s invasion of its neighbor in February 2022, the SBU said.
“The bridge is now effectively in an emergency condition,” the SBU claimed.
It said no civilians were killed or injured in the operation. It was not possible to independently confirm the claims.
Traffic across the Kerch Bridge was halted for three hours early Tuesday but reopened at 9 a.m., official Russian social media channels said. It closed for a second time at 3:20 p.m.
In this photo provided by Ukraine’s 127th Separate Brigade of the Territorial Defence press service, soldiers fire a canon towards Russian army positions near Kharkiv, Ukraine, Monday, June 2, 2025. Anatolii Lysianskyi/Associated Press
Zelensky appeals for pressure on Moscow
The Ukrainian president called the attack on Sumy a “completely deliberate” strike on civilians.
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“That’s all you need to know about Russia’s ‘desire’ to end this war,” the Ukrainian president wrote on social media.
Zelensky appealed for global pressure and “decisive action from the United States, Europe and everyone in the world who holds power.” Without it, he said, Russian President Vladimir Putin “will not agree even to a ceasefire.”
The war has killed more than 12,000 Ukrainian civilians, according to the United Nations, as well as tens of thousands of soldiers on both sides along the roughly 1,000-kilometer (620-mile) front line where the war of attrition grinds on despite U.S.-led efforts to broker a peace deal.
A stunning Ukrainian drone attack
Though Russia has a bigger army and more economic resources than Ukraine, the Ukrainian drone attack over the weekend damaged or destroyed more than 40 warplanes at air bases deep inside Russia, Ukrainian officials said, touting it as a serious blow to the Kremlin’s strategic arsenal and military prestige.
The Russian Defense Ministry acknowledged that the Ukrainian attack set several planes ablaze at two air bases but said the military repelled attempted attacks on three other air bases.
Both Zelensky and Putin have been eager to show U.S. President Donald Trump that they share his ambition to end the fighting — and avoid possible punitive measures from Washington. Ukraine has accepted a U.S.-proposed ceasefire, but the Kremlin effectively rejected it. Putin has made it clear that any peace settlement has to be on his terms.
Delegations from the warring sides agreed Monday to swap dead and wounded troops, but their terms for ending the war remained far apart.
Dmitry Medvedev, a former Russian president who now serves as deputy head of the country’s Security Council chaired by Putin, indicated on Tuesday that there would be no let-up in Russia’s invasion.
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“The Istanbul talks are not for striking a compromise peace on someone else’s delusional terms but for ensuring our swift victory and the complete destruction of (Ukraine’s government),” he said.
In an apparent comment on the latest Ukrainian strikes, he declared that “retribution is inevitable.”
A Putin-Zelensky-Trump meeting ‘unlikely’ soon, Moscow says
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov responded to suggestions that a face-to-face meeting between Putin, Trump and Zelensky could break the deadlock, saying the possibility was “unlikely in the near future.”
Meanwhile, a senior Ukrainian delegation led by First Deputy Prime Minister and Economy Minister Yuliia Svyrydenko has traveled to Washington for talks about defense, sanctions and postwar recovery, said Andrii Yermak, the head of Ukraine’s presidential office.
The delegation will meet with representatives from both major U.S. political parties, as well as with advisors to Trump, Yermak added.
Ukrainians in Kyiv welcomed the strikes on Russian air bases but were gloomy about prospects for a peace agreement.
“Russia has invested too many resources in this war to just … stop for nothing,” said serviceman Oleh Nikolenko, 43.
His wife, Anastasia Nikolenko, a 38-year-old designer, said diplomacy can’t stop the fighting. “We need to show by force, by physical force, that we cannot be defeated,” she said.
Russia recently expanded its attacks on Sumy and the Kharkiv region following Putin’s promise to create a buffer zone along the border that might prevent long-range Ukrainian attacks hitting Russian soil. Sumy, about 25 kilometers (15 miles) from the border, had a prewar population of around 250,000.
Russia’s Defense Ministry claimed its troops had taken the Ukrainian village of Andriivka, close to the border in the Sumy region. Ukraine made no immediate comment on the claim, which could not be independently verified.
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Russia also fired rocket artillery at Chystovodivka village in the Kharkiv region, killing two people and injuring three others, regional Gov. Oleh Syniehubov said.
How Ukraine bombed Russia-Crimea bridge after blows to rail lines and airbases — What’s behind strategy?
Ukraine on Tuesday (June 3) claimed responsibility for the underwater explosion that damaged the Kerch Bridge. The move marks a significant escalation in Ukraine’s broader campaign to disrupt Russia’s military logistics deep within its own territory. The operation temporarily halted traffic across the 19-kilometre (12-mile) bridge early Tuesday morning and again in the afternoon. It came just 48 hours after Ukraine launched a sweeping drone assault on four Russian airbases stretching across the Arctic, Siberia, and the Far East. Around the same time, two key railway bridges collapsed, derailing trains and killing at least seven people. The string of attacks reflects a well-orchestrated plan with multiple objectives: Disabling or degrading the bridge not only delays military shipments but also delivers a symbolic blow to Moscow’s claim of secure control over Crimea.
A series of strikes The bridge bombing came just 48 hours after Ukraine launched a sweeping drone assault on four Russian airbases — stretching across the Arctic, Siberia, and the Far East — destroying over 40 military aircraft, including long-range bombers. Around the same time, two key railway bridges collapsed in Russia’s Bryansk and Kursk regions, derailing trains and killing at least seven people.
Underwater precision: The Kerch operation Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) described the bridge attack as a “unique special operation” involving the detonation of 1,100 kilograms of explosives planted on the seabed near the bridge’s foundation. The resulting blast damaged a critical support pillar, according to video evidence released by the agency.
The operation temporarily halted traffic across the 19-kilometre (12-mile) bridge early Tuesday morning and again in the afternoon. Russian authorities acknowledged the closures but have not disclosed the extent of the damage.
The SBU said no civilians were harmed in the operation.
Why the Kerch Bridge is vital Built by Russia after annexing Crimea in 2014, the Kerch Bridge is the Kremlin’s main logistical route into occupied southern Ukraine. It supports the movement of troops, ammunition, food, and fuel — particularly into the contested Zaporizhzhia region.
Disabling or degrading the bridge not only delays military shipments but also delivers a symbolic blow to Moscow’s claim of secure control over Crimea.
Railway attacks compound pressure On June 1, explosions caused two railway bridges in Russia’s border regions to collapse, derailing both passenger and freight trains. Seven people were killed and over 100 injured. Russia’s Investigative Committee labeled the incidents as “acts of terrorism” and blamed Ukraine.
While Kyiv has not claimed direct responsibility for the bridge collapses, Ukraine’s military intelligence (GUR) confirmed that a Russian military freight train carrying food and fuel to Crimea had been targeted.
Also Read | Russia and Ukraine ratchet up war while trying to show Trump they want peace
Drone raids on airbases stretch Russian defenses Ukraine’s June 1 drone operation was one of the most far-reaching of the war. Drones struck four military airbases across three time zones — an attack that reportedly took more than a year to plan. Ukrainian officials say over 40 warplanes were destroyed, including Tu-95 and Tu-22M3 bombers capable of launching conventional and nuclear weapons.
Strategic goals behind the attacks The string of attacks — targeting airbases, railway lines, and the Crimean bridge — reflects a well-orchestrated plan with multiple objectives:
Disrupt logistics: By striking Russia’s main transport arteries, Ukraine aims to delay or deny crucial supplies to front-line forces.
Erode morale: Attacking deep within Russia exposes the vulnerability of supposedly secure infrastructure.
Regain momentum: The strikes could serve as a prelude to future Ukrainian counteroffensives.
Pressure for peace: With negotiations stalled, Ukraine may be seeking to strengthen its bargaining position.
A war far from over Though peace talks in Istanbul yielded no breakthrough earlier this week, Ukraine’s actions signal that it is not waiting idly. The strikes show a shift from defensive operations to a proactive strategy of deep disruption.
Also Read | Ukraine bombs Crimea’s Kerch Bridge used by Russia for troop transport
Liberal leader Lee Jae-myung elected South Korea’s president
Lee Jae-myung will become South Korea’s next president on Wednesday. Lee, 60, the candidate of the liberal opposition Democratic Party, is taking office for a full, single five-year term. He succeeds Yoon Suk Yeol, a conservative who was felled over his stunning yet brief imposition of martial law in December. Lee has vowed to pursue pragmatic diplomacy. He has promised to develop the alliance with the U.S. and solidify a trilateral Seoul-Washington-Tokyo partnership, a stance that isn’t much different from the position held by South Korea’s conservatives. He is known for his inspirational rags-to-riches story and calls to build a more assertive South Korea in foreign policy. He didn’t formally claim victory, but reiterated his major policy goals, such as revitalizing the economy, promoting peace with North Korea and easing a domestic divide. But experts earlier said whoever becomes president can’t do much to secure major progress in South Korea.
Lee, 60, the candidate of the liberal opposition Democratic Party, is taking office for a full, single five-year term, succeeding Yoon Suk Yeol, a conservative who was felled over his stunning yet brief imposition of martial law in December.
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Lee Jae-myung, who rose from childhood poverty to become South Korea’s leading liberal politician vowing to fight inequality and corruption, will become the country’s next president on Wednesday after an election that closed one of the most turbulent chapters in the young democracy.
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The toughest external challenges awaiting Lee are U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariff policy and North Korea’s advancing nuclear program. But experts earlier said whoever becomes president can’t do much to secure major progress in South Korea’s favor on those issues.
Kim Moon Soo, presidential candidate with the People Power Party, held an election campaign rally in Seoul, South Korea, late Monday. Ahn Young-joon/Associated Press
As of 3:45 a.m. Wednesday, with over 99% of the votes counted, Lee obtained 49.3% of the votes cast in Tuesday’s early election, while main conservative contender Kim Moon Soo trailed with 41.3% — a gap that was impossible to overcome mathematically.
Preelection surveys have long suggested Lee appeared headed for an easy win, riding on deep public frustration over the conservatives in the wake of Yoon’s martial law debacle.
Even before Lee’s win was formally declared, Kim conceded, telling journalists that he “humbly accepts the people’s choice,” and congratulated Lee.
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Earlier, Lee appeared before thousands of cheering supporters on Seoul’s streets. He didn’t formally claim victory, but reiterated his major policy goals, such as revitalizing the economy, promoting peace with North Korea and easing a domestic divide.
“Let us move forward with hope and make a fresh start from this moment on,” he said. “Though we may have clashed for some time, even those who did not support us are still our fellow citizens of the Republic of Korea.”
Supporters of South Korea’s Democratic Party’s presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung, react outside the National Assembly in Seoul, South Korea, Tuesday, June 3, 2025. Ahn Young-joon/Associated Press
Pragmatic diplomacy
Lee, who served as governor of Gyeonggi province and mayor of Seongnam city, has been a highly divisive figure in politics for years.
As a former child laborer known for his inspirational rags-to-riches story, Lee came to fame through biting criticism of the country’s conservative establishment and calls to build a more assertive South Korea in foreign policy. That rhetoric has given him an image as someone who can institute sweeping reforms and fix the country’s deep-seated economic inequality and corruption.
His critics view him as a dangerous populist who relies on political division and backpedals on promises too easily.
On foreign policy, Lee has vowed to pursue pragmatic diplomacy. He has promised to develop the alliance with the U.S. and solidify a trilateral Seoul-Washington-Tokyo partnership, a stance that isn’t much different from the position held by South Korea’s conservatives.
“We’ll have to now see if the pressures of office will cause Lee Jae-myung to govern from the center — at least when it comes to matters of national security and the alliance with the United States,” said Ankit Panda, an expert with the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.
Lee said that he would pursue better ties with North Korea, but acknowledged that it would be “very difficult” to hold a summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un anytime soon. This signals Lee won’t likely initiate any drastic steps meant to improve relations with North Korea.
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Experts say there aren’t many diplomatic options for South Korea as it tries to address Trump’s tariff hikes and calls for South Korea to pay more for the cost of the U.S. military presence, as well as North Korea’s headlong pursuit of nuclear weapons. Experts say that has made both Lee and other candidates avoid unveiling ambitious foreign policy goals.
Paik Wooyeal, a professor at Seoul’s Yonsei University, said that foreign policy strategists for Lee understand there isn’t much South Korea can do to bring about a denuclearization of North Korea. Paik said Lee also doesn’t share the Korean nationalistic zeal held by ex-liberal President Moon Jae-in, who met Kim Jong Un three times during his 2017-22 term.
There are still hopes that diplomacy between the U.S. and North Korea could resume, with Trump repeatedly expressing his intent to reach out to Kim Jong Un. Lee has said that he would support Trump’s outreach.
“South Korea and the United States may be better aligned on engaging North Korea under the current constellation of leadership in both countries,” Panda said. “The two sides should begin consultations soon to ensure they’re aligned on their goals.”
Impact of tariff hikes
Lee’s government still could become engaged in “a little bit of friction” with the Trump administration, said Chung Jin-young, a former dean of the Graduate School of Pan-Pacific International Studies at South Korea’s Kyung Hee University.
Chung predicted Lee still won’t be able to pursue overly drastic steps on foreign policy and security, given the country’s foreign exchange and financial markets are vulnerable to such changes.
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Lee has preached patience over Trump’s tariff policy, arguing it would be a mistake to rush negotiations in pursuit of an early agreement with Washington.
On Monday, South Korean trade officials held an emergency meeting to discuss a response to Trump’s announcement that the U.S. will raise tariffs on steel and aluminum products to 50% beginning Wednesday. South Korea’s central bank last week sharply lowered its 2025 growth outlook to 0.8%, citing the potential impact of Trump’s tariff hikes and weak domestic demand worsened by the political turmoil of past months.
Healing domestic divide
The election serves as another defining moment in the country’s resilient democracy, but observers worry a worsened domestic divide could pose a big political burden on the new president.
The past six months saw large crowds of people rallying to either denounce or support Yoon, while a leadership vacuum caused by Yoon’s impeachment and ensuing formal dismissal rattled the country’s high-level diplomatic activities and financial markets.
Lee has promised to heal the national split, but his vow to thoroughly hold those involved in Yoon’s martial law stunt accountable has sparked concerns that he would use investigations to launch political retaliations against his opponents.
“The next question is just how Lee will represent and protect South Korea’s democracy,” said Soo Kim, a former CIA Korea analyst and geopolitical risk consultant.
“Will South Korea’s politics still remain focused on retribution, or will Seoul finally look beyond this and work constructively and progressively for the country’s best long-term democratic interests?” she said. “It’s a tall order for Lee.”