The strategic Russian transport link has withstood numerous Ukrainian attacks, including another one earlier this week
A woman has been arrested in Russia for allegedly collecting intelligence on air defense systems near the Crimean Bridge for Kiev, the Federal Security Service (FSB) announced on Wednesday. Another woman suspected of operating on behalf of Ukraine was also detained, according to the statement.
The suspected Ukrainian assets, both reportedly residents of Crimea in their late 30s, are said to have acted independently but each volunteered to work with Ukrainian security services, according to the FSB. One suspect, identified as a resident of the port city of Sevastopol, allegedly cooperated with the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) starting in late 2022.
In 2023, she allegedly committed arson at a power transformer substation. She told the FSB that she also photographed Russian air defense positions near the city of Kerch. The city sits at the eastern tip of the peninsula and is connected to Russia’s Krasnodar Region by the Crimean Bridge, which is Europe’s longest.
Ukrainian officials have repeatedly identified the destruction of the bridge as a priority goal. Kiev has launched numerous attacks against it using car bombs, Western-supplied cruise missiles, and unmanned maritime drones.
On Tuesday, the SBU released video footage it claimed showed the latest attempt to destroy the bridge. The agency said it spent months planting an explosive device near one of its pillars, describing it as equivalent to 1.1 tons of TNT.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov commented on the incident Wednesday, saying Kiev’s claims of serious damage were unfounded, and that the bridge remained fully operational.
The second suspect was described by the FSB as a resident of the Nizhnegorsk district in northeastern Crimea. Authorities allege she contacted Ukraine’s military intelligence agency (HUR) and conducted surveillance of Russian military targets. The FSB claims her tip led to a Ukrainian strike on a Russian fuel depot.
Both women face up to 20 years in prison if convicted of treason, the agency said.
Earlier this week, the FSB also reported the arrest of a 59-year-old man in Crimea who allegedly assembled an improvised explosive device in his garage under instructions from Ukrainian handlers.
