KYIV, UKRAINE (AP) – An explosion damaged a bridge that is one of the few links between Crimea and Ukraine’s mainland, Russia-backed officials said yesterday, while Ukraine’s prime minister appealed for patience as Kyiv’s armed forces move ahead with their closely watched counteroffensive.
Russian forces in Crimea, which Russia annexed in 2014, use the Chongar bridge to reach southern Ukraine’s Kherson province.
Russia and Ukraine control different sides of the province, which is a focus of fighting and attacks as Ukrainian troops try to reclaim Russian-occupied territory.
Ukrainian authorities have said that for the country’s nearly 16-month war to end, Moscow must withdraw its forces from Crimea as well as from areas they seized during last year’s full-scale invasion.
The damage to the bridge was not severe and likely will be repaired within several days, according to Vladimir Konstantinov, chairman of Crimea’s parliament.
Vladimir Saldo, who heads the Russian-occupied parts of Kherson province, said the explosion appeared to have been caused by a type of long-range cruise missile that both France and the United Kingdom have given to Ukraine’s military.
The claim could not be independently verified. Numerous military analysts have said recent Ukrainian actions in the country’s south and east indicated that Kyiv’s troops were in the beginning of a long-anticipated counteroffensive.
Asked about the reported damage to the Chongar Bridge, a spokesperson for Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense Main Intelligence Directorate, did not confirm Ukraine’s involvement but said on TV that a blow to the span would be part of an ongoing process.
Russian state news agency RIA-Novosti cited an unnamed representative of Russia’s Investigative Committee as saying yesterday that preliminary information indicates there were four missiles fired and the remains of one of them showed markings of being French-made.
Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu alleged this week that Ukraine planned to use HIMARS and Storm Shadow missiles to attack Russian territory, including Crimea.
