Ukraine Strike Damages Bridge Connecting Crimea to Kherson
Russian officials said there were no casualties
by Dave DeCamp Posted onJune 22, 2023CategoriesNewsTagsRussia, Ukraine
Russian officials said Thursday that a bridge in northern Crimea that connects to Russian-controlled areas of Ukraine’s Kherson Oblast was damaged by a Ukrainian missile strike.
No casualties were reported in the strike, and Vladimir Saldo, the Russian-installed acting governor of Kherson, said the damage to the bridge should be repaired within a few days. Saldo also said the damage will inconvenience local civilians but would not impact Russia’s war effort.
“This destruction that the Kiev regime’s missile strike has caused will not change the course of the special military operation. It will not affect it in any way,” he said, according to Russia’s TASS news agency.
Saldo said he suspected Ukraine used British-provided Storm Shadow cruise missiles in the strike, although Russia’s Investigative Committee later said missile fragments with French markings were found. At this point, the Russian authorities have not identified the missiles and just said four were used in the strike.
The attack on the bridge came a few days after Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu said the Russian military had information that Ukraine was plotting strikes in Crimea using Storm Shadow missiles or US-provided HIMARS rocket systems. Shoigu warned that Russia could respond to such strikes by targeting “decision-making” centers in Ukraine.
Author: Dave DeCamp
Dave DeCamp is the news editor of Antiwar.com, follow him on Twitter @decampdave. View all posts by Dave DeCamp
