Ukrainian missiles hit a bridge used by Russia’s front-line troops in Ukraine’s south, as reported by Russian-appointed officials, in a major attack overnight, which threatens to undermine Moscow’s hold in the region as Kyiv pushes an offensive to regain the lost territory.
According to the Russian-appointed governor of Kherson, Vladimir Saldo, the strike will not affect Russia’s military plans but would complicate movement for residents.
Kyiv Strikes Bridge Connecting Crimea
According to Russian-appointed officials, the Ukrainian military targetted the Chonhar road bridge connecting Crimea with Russian-held parts of the southern Kherson region, causing traffic to be diverted to an alternate route. The Russian troops use it to move between Crimea and other areas of Ukraine under their control.
Kyiv’s offensive, which began two weeks ago, has progressed slowly, and with severe losses due to the defences Russia has spent months building, including vast fields of land mines.
Rather than targeting Russian positions directly, Kyiv is concentrating its efforts on damaging Russian military equipment, infrastructure, and supply lines, diminishing its forces’ ability to maintain their positions.
The occupying authorities of #Crimea report about a strike on the Chongarsky bridge by the Armed Forces of #Ukraine.
— NEXTA (@nexta_tv) June 22, 2023
Collaborator Saldo said that on the border of the Kherson region with the Crimea, Storm Shadow missiles damaged several bridges. pic.twitter.com/IQ7dLmHOdq
The bridge, which Ukrainian forces seem to have struck with a missile, is an important link of Russia’s supply routes from Crimea, which it seized in 2014, to the regions of southern Ukraine it conquered last year during its large-scale invasion.
Yuriy Sobolevskiy, the Ukrainian deputy governor of the Kherson area, partially controlled by Kyiv, claimed the bridge attack was significant and would likely be a precursor to more fighting in the south. “It is a blow to the military logistics of the occupiers,” he wrote on Telegram.
Sobolevskiy added, “The psychological impact on the occupiers and the occupying power is even more important. There is no place on the territory of Kherson region where they can feel safe.”
Crimean head Sergey Aksenov confirmed that bomb disposal technicians were examining the sites of the #Ukrainian strike on the Chonhar bridge.#Crimea#Russia#Ukrainehttps://t.co/JBCApz8dra
— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) June 22, 2023
Russia’s Response
According to Saldo, the road bridge had been destroyed, but no casualties were reported. He shared a photo on Telegram of a massive hole in the bridge’s surface, with water visible beneath it and debris scattered nearby.
“The Kyiv terrorists want to intimidate Kherson residents and sow panic among the population, but they will not succeed. We know how to repair bridges quickly: vehicle passage will be restored in the very near future,” Saldo remarked.
Saldo stated, “We have an answer to every move by the enemy. A link between the Kherson region and Crimea continues to operate — a reserve route has been temporarily organised for vehicular traffic.”
Sergei Aksyonov, the Russian-appointed head of Crimea, stated that explosive experts were working to determine the type of missiles fired.
According to the Russian state news agency RIA, fragments of the rockets indicated that the bridge was hit by Storm Shadow missiles, which have a wider range than any conventional weapon in Ukraine’s arsenal and have been used successfully against targets on Russian-held territory in recent weeks.
Even though Moscow has attempted to use the land bridge, which connects mainland Russia with the regions of eastern and southern Ukraine that it now claims, traffic within those regions is limited, which forces Moscow to rely more heavily on connections from Crimea to mainland Ukraine.
The bridge’s full repairs are expected to be completed by next month. However, the UK Defence Ministry says it will not be operational until September.