Factbox-Crimea Bridge: why is it important and what happened to it

FILE PHOTO: Vehicles drive over the bridge connecting the Russian mainland with the Crimean Peninsula across the Kerch Strait, February 14, 2023. REUTERS/Stringer/File photo

(Reuters) - Traffic on the road-and-rail bridge linking Russia and the Crimean peninsula was stopped early on Monday due to an "emergency situation," the Russian-backed head of Crimea's administration, Sergei Aksyonov said.

The RBC-Ukraine news agency reported that explosions were heard on the bridge, with Russian military bloggers reporting two strikes. The bridge is a crucial supply route for Russian forces in Ukraine.