Ukraine on Thursday attacked a bridge linking southern Ukraine to the Crimean peninsula with long-range British missiles, Russian officials say. The two parallel Chonhar bridges were both damaged, said Head of the Russian-installed administration in occupied Kherson province Vladimir Saldo. No one was hurt. Saldo released a video of himself on the Chonhar road bridge, where craters were blasted through the asphalt. While vowing to repair the bridge and restore traffic, he said, "Another meaningless act perpetrated by the Kyiv regime on orders from London. It solves nothing as far as the special military operation is concerned." Ukraine hasn't claimed responsibility for this bridge attack though.
The attacked bridge is one of a handful of access roads to Crimea which a narrow isthmus links to the Ukrainian mainland. The alternate routes to it require hours-long detours over the roads which aren't even in good condition. Russian news agency RIA quoted the Russian-installed transport officials as saying that the repairing of the affected bridge could take weeks.
The bridge which was attacked is out of the range of the battlefield rockets that Ukraine has been using for a year. However, it is within the range of newly developed weapons such as the British and French air-launched cruise missiles. This has allowed Kyiv to hit logistics routes that Russia had deemed safe just a few weeks back.
Meanwhile, as per Ukraine Deputy Defence Minister Hanna Maliar's message on the Telegram app, the Ukrainian forces are holding Russian troops in their place by not allowing 'a single metre' of advancements on the eastern front.
Maliar added that the Ukrainian forces on the southern front (where several villages were retaken last week) were gradually moving forward. News agency Reuters quoted her as saying, "We have had partial success. We are pushing back the enemy and levelling the front line."
Kyiv is in the early stages of its most ambitious counteroffensive of the 16-month-old war as Ukraine targets Russian supply lines to disrupt Moscow's defence of the occupied territory in the south. It claims that it has recaptured eight villages so far, however, it is yet to commit the bulk of its forces to the fight. As per Reuters, the Ukrainian troops still haven't reached the main Russian defensive lines.
What Does The Attack Mean For The Troops?
This strike was a "blow to the military logistics of the occupiers", said Yuriy Sobolevsky, a Ukrainian official on the governing body for the Kherson region. He added, "There is no place on the territory of Kherson region where they can feel safe."
Post the attack, Russian investigators said that four missiles were fired by Ukrainian forces at the bridge, reported RIA. It quoted a spokesman for military investigators as saying that the markings that the missile bears suggested that it was made in France.