Multiple explosions were reported in Crimea on July 9, as Russian forces claimed that they had downed a cruise missile in the Kerch area, according to Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty’s Krym.Realii service.
The explosions are said to have occurred around noon and were heard three to four times consecutively.
Sergei Aksyonov, the Kremlin-appointed head of Crimea’s occupation authority, claimed that Russian “air defense forces successfully shot down a cruise missile,” resulting in no reported damages or casualties.
In response to the incident, the Russian Telegram channel Mash, citing its sources, reported that traffic on the Crimean Bridge, had temporarily been halted in both directions due to the alleged attack.
However, by 1:17 p.m., Mykola Lukashenko, the Kremlin-backed “head of the Ministry of Transport” of Crimea, announced that traffic had already been restored.
Regular explosions have been heard in the Russian-occupied Crimea since 2022, with Russian authorities often attributing them to air defense drills while accusing Ukraine of instigating attacks.
In October 2022, an explosion occurred on the illegally constructed Crimean Bridge.
Presently, the peninsula operates under an elevated (yellow) level of terrorist threat, according to Russian authorities.
Providing insights on the recent explosion near Bakhchisaray in May 2023, Andriy Yusov, a representative of Ukrainian intelligence, emphasized infrastructure construction in Crimea can only be conducted in Crimea following its liberation by Ukraine.
