UPDATE 1-Traffic stopped on Crimean Bridge due to ’emergency’

(Adds detail, context)

July 17 (Reuters) – Traffic was stopped at the Russian-built Crimean Bridge linking the Crimean peninsula to the Russian region of Krasnodar due to “an emergency” situation, Russia-installed Governor Sergei Aksyonov wrote on the Telegram messaging app early on Monday.

Aksyonov said the emergency occurred on the 145th pillar of the bridge from the Krasnodar territory. He did not provide any further detail.

The RBC-Ukraine news agency reported that explosions were heard on the bridge.

Russia’s Grey Zone channel, a heavily followed Telegram channel affiliated with the Wagner mercenary group, reported that there were two strikes on the bridge at 03:04 a.m. (0004 GMT) and 03:20 a.m.

Reuters was not able to independently verify the reports.

There was no immediate comment from Ukraine.

Crimea was annexed by Russia from Ukraine in 2014, but is internationally recognised as part of Ukraine.

The 12-mile (19-km) road and rail bridge was damaged by an explosion last October, in an attack that the Kremlin said had been orchestrated by Ukrainian security forces. Ukraine admitted only indirectly to the attack months later.

(Reporting by Lidia Kelly in Melbourne; Editing by Kim Coghill and Michael Perry)