Mystery Structure Along Crimea Bridge Sparks Speculation

A structure being erected alongside the Kerch Bridge in Russian-occupied Crimea has raised questions online.

Satellite images show what appears to be a secondary bridge being raised parallel to the first.

Newsweek has contacted the Russian defense ministry for comment via email.

One Crimea-centric Telegram channel said the purpose of the new bridge remains unknown but suggested it could be used to increase the protection of the Kerch Bridge from potential Ukrainian attacks.

"Perhaps they are trying to partially duplicate the so-called Crimean Bridge, this is currently our assumption because this structure is not as fundamental," spokesman for the Ukrainian navy, Dmitry Pletenchuk, posited, the channel reported.

"There are many more questions than answers," he said.

The Kerch Bridge, also known as the Crimean Bridge, is a significant infrastructure project that connects the Crimean Peninsula to mainland Russia across the Kerch Strait. It holds considerable strategic importance as it can be used to ferry traffic and supplies into Crimea from the Russian mainland.

Crimea was seized from Ukraine by Russian forces in 2014.

Meanwhile, Ukraine now controls almost 500 square miles of Russia's border Kursk region, Kyiv's army chief has said.

Ukraine controls 93 settlements in the area, Colonel General Oleksandr Syrskyi is reported to have claimed on Tuesday.

In a surprise turnaround, Ukraine has managed to push into Russia more than two years after the war between the two countries was reignited.

"The operation is unfolding exactly as we expected," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in an evening address on Saturday. "Now we are reinforcing our positions. The foothold of our presence is getting stronger."

Kyiv has recently claimed that Russian President Vladimir Putin has lost two-thirds of Russia's troops in Ukraine. Figures provided by the General Staff of Ukraine's Armed Forces said Russia's total losses had surpassed 600,000.

Russia doesn't release detailed figures, and experts are skeptical of Ukraine's numbers, which are often higher than estimates by Western allies.

In related news, NATO member Lithuania has begun construction on a military campus to house 4,000 German troops near its border with Belarus, which shares close ties with Russia. The project will be one of the largest in the Baltic country's history.

In a statement on X(formerly Twitter), Lithuanian Prime Minister Ingrida Šimonytė said: "One more step towards the security of Lithuania and its allies: today sending a message to our future generations we officially began development of the infrastructure military campus for the German brigade. We do not threaten, just making sure that, if anyone wants to test our strength, they will lose the desire to do so."

The facility will be used for tank storage and maintenance, will include shooting ranges of various sizes, and is estimated to cost upwards of $1 billion, Reuters has reported.

"This unprecedented project strengthens regional security and reaffirms our commitment to the NATO collective defense," Lithuania's defense ministry said.

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Update, 08/22/24, 09:29 a.m. ET: This article was updated with additional information.

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