Massive explosions have rocked Crimea overnight, with pictures showing fires erupting and a bridge between the occupied Ukrainian peninsula and mainland Russia currently suspended to traffic.

Posting on the Telegram app, blogger Crimean Wind said: “Vehicular traffic on the Crimean Bridge is temporarily suspended.”

The Krymskiy Veter channel reported explosions close to the city of Kerch and also claimed “smoke is rising” in the area of the ferry crossing.

Additionally, various Telegram channels reported explosions in Chornomorske and Kamianka, close to Simferopol, and air-raid warnings and shooting in Feodosiia.

The news comes as Ukraine seized around 1,000 square kilometres of internationally recognised Russian territory in the Kursk Oblast.

The attack – ongoing for more than a week – appears to have caught Vladimir Putin’s forces by surprise as Moscow scrambles to respond.

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