Kerch Bridge collapse

October 8, 2022

A fuel tank explosion caused the partial collapse of the Kerch Bridge, which connects Russia with Crimea.

Key facts

The Kerch Bridge, also known as Crimea Bridge, is a road-and-rail bridge connecting Russia and Crimean Peninsula.
It is the longest bridge in Europe.
This bridge passes over the Kerch strait and provides the only direct link between Russia’s transport network and the Crimean Peninsula, which was annexed in 2014 by Russia from Ukraine.
This 19-km long bridge is a flagship project of Vladimir Putin. It was opened by the Russian President in 2018.
It symbolizes the unification of Crimea and Russia.
The bridge has a separate roadway and railway. They are supported by concrete stilts that supports a wider span held by steel arches at the point where ships traverse between the Azov Sea and Black Sea.
The overall cost of the bridge was 3.6 billion USD.
Since it is the only direct link between Russia and Crimea, it plays a major role in supplying fuel, food and other key goods to Crimea, which hosts the port of Sevastopol – the historic home base of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet.
It became a major supply route for Russian Forces after the military campaign against Ukraine was launched on February 24, 2022.
It is the only military supply route linking Russia with Crimea peninsula. Its collapse would mean the disruption of fuel, food, military equipment and ammunition supply to Russian units fighting the Ukraine war.
Its collapse also affected fuel supply in Crimea.

About Kerch Strait

The Kerch Strait is situated in Eastern Europe. This waterway connects the Black Sea and the smaller Sea of Azov. It separates the Kerch Peninsula in Crimea from the Taman Peninsula in Russia. The strait is named after the Crimean city of Kerch.

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