Passport control has been implemented at the Crimean Bridge: here's what you need to know.

Today, January 25, passport control has been implemented on the Crimean Bridge. Everyone traveling towards the annexed peninsula is being checked.

This information is reported by RBK-Ukraine citing "Kommersant".

According to Alexander Ovdiienko, the deputy minister of transport of annexed Crimea, the new checks are part of enhanced security measures. However, he did not specify what exactly prompted their implementation.

Instead, he referred to a directive from Russian dictator Vladimir Putin regarding the introduction of a heightened response level in Crimea and the Krasnodar region, as well as to an order from the head of the Krasnodar region to indefinitely impose a "yellow" level of terrorist threat in the area.

It is noteworthy that checks on the Crimean Bridge began after the explosion of a truck in October 2022. Prior to this, passports of all those entering Crimea were not checked.

Explosion on the Crimean Bridge

Recall that on October 8, 2022, a truck was blown up on the Crimean Bridge. Along with the explosion, a massive fire also occurred.

At that time, Russian dictator Vladimir Putin ordered the establishment of a government commission due to the emergency incident on the Crimean Bridge and labeled the event as a "terrorist act." Concurrently, Russian officials claimed that the explosion on the Crimean Bridge might have been a special operation by the Security Service of Ukraine.

Additionally, in July 2023, there was another attack on the Crimean Bridge. Two spans were destroyed during that incident. The head of the Security Service of Ukraine Maluk also confirmed the agency's involvement in this attack and noted that it was organized using Sea Baby drones.