Russian-Held Bridge Is Hit by Missiles Far From Ukraine’s Front Line
Russian-Held Bridge Is Hit by Missiles Far From Ukraine’s Front Line
The operation destroyed a bridge in the Crimean Peninsula, which is controlled by Russia and is used by Moscow to resupply its forces in Ukraine.
UKRAINE: KYIV According to Kremlin-backed local officials, missiles were fired on Thursday and targeted a Russian-held bridge that is located far from the front lines but is crucial to Moscow’s ability to resupply its forces in Ukraine.
Several missiles were fired at the bridge, which connects the rest of Ukraine to the annexed Crimean Peninsula, during a nighttime attack that some of the officials blamed on Kiev.
The Ukrainian government has often declined to officially admit Ukrainian forces’ increased attacks on the peninsula, which Moscow captured before beginning its entire invasion, and that was the case again on Thursday.
The two-span bridge connects Crimea and the Kherson region by over the Chonhar Strait.
Both spans are damaged, as seen in videos and images that The New York Times has confirmed. In addition to having a hole in the main road bridge, the smaller bridge that runs alongside it also appears to have surface damage.
There were no deaths in the strike, according to Sergei Aksyonov, the Crimean leader established by the Kremlin, and bomb technicians were looking into the cause.
Mr. Aksyonov did not blame Ukraine for the strike, but Vladimir Saldo, the Russian-backed governor of occupied Kherson, did. He said that British-made Storm Shadow long-range missiles were used by the “criminal Kyiv regime” to destroy the bridge.
Mr. Saldo, though, also used a contemptuous tone.
He wrote on Telegram, “We can fix bridges swiftly. Vehicle access will be restored as soon as possible.
The action looked to be a part of a larger Ukrainian strategy intended to obstruct the resupply of Russian soldiers resisting Kyiv’s counteroffensive in southern Ukraine and came just days after a hit on a Russian ammo stockpile in the Kherson region.
Image
Over the past year, Crimea, which Moscow illegitimately annexed in 2014, has served as a staging area for the entire invasion that will begin in February 2022. It has played a crucial role in the Russian military’s logistical support system for the tens of thousands of troops occupying southern Ukraine.
In recent months, Russia has worked to bolster its defences along the Crimean coast by planting land mines and constructing barriers to slow down tanks in anticipation of the counteroffensive.
Sergei K. Shoigu, the defence minister of Russia, asserted earlier this week that Ukraine’s military planned to use long-range missiles to attack Crimea and threatened “immediate retaliatory strikes” if it did. Another bridge on the Crimean Peninsula that connects it to the Russian mainland was severely damaged by a bombing in October. In response, Russia attacked Ukraine’s power grid, a dramatic escalation in the conflict.
Mr. Shoigu gave reassurance that his forces will be able to survive the freshly initiated Ukrainian counteroffensive on Thursday when speaking to the Russian Security Council.Even while Ukraine’s Western allies are supplying more weapons and analysts claim the major thrust of Kyiv’s counteroffensive is still to come, Mr. Shoigu exuded confidence.
Mr. Shoigu added during the meeting that “from our side, we are getting ready, too.”
In remarks that may have been more directed at the Russian public watching the meeting on state television than the defence minister, President Vladimir V. Putin struck a tone of caution.
The offensive capability of the adversary has not been exhausted, and a number of strategic reserves have not been utilised, according to Mr. Putin. “I would urge you to consider that,” he continued. We must move past the actual circumstance.The Russian army has suffered significant losses in the conflict, but Mr. Shoigu claimed that attempts to increase the number of contract soldiers and volunteers had led to the enlistment of almost 160,000 new soldiers, though he did not say when this occurred. He declared that by the end of this month, Russia would create a new reserve force.
Despite some sceptics, Russian official TV outlets have adopted a similarly upbeat tone regarding Russian success in the field of war.
Yevgeny V. Prigozhin, leader of the Wagner paramilitary force, criticised Russian military leaders once again in a voice mail sent by his press office on Thursday: “What we are being told about Ukraine’s counteroffensive is not true.”
